


Always Silent, Peter Darling

by LlibLo



Series: Spider-Man Nor [1]
Category: Iron Man (Movies), Spider-Man - All Media Types, Spider-Man: Homecoming (2017), The Avengers (Marvel Movies)
Genre: ASPD, Angst and Hurt/Comfort, Aunt May Is Evil, Complete, Gen, Peter Dose his Best, Peter Parker Is Selectively Mute, Some Physical Abuse, Spider-Man: Homecoming AU, Tony Stark Acting as Peter Parker's Parental Figure, Tony Stark Has A Heart, Verbal Abuse, only slightly different
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-09-05
Updated: 2019-05-02
Packaged: 2019-07-07 00:13:28
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 27
Words: 115,953
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/15896988
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/LlibLo/pseuds/LlibLo
Summary: After a traumatic experience at age 6, Peter Parker hasn't spoken a word. Most blame it on the fact that he witnessed his Uncle die in a horrible fire, this is only partly true. Now, almost 10 years later Peter is given the chance to finally speak, but will he take it? Or is the fear of his Aunt to much for him to take that chance?Either way, Tony Stark can tell something's not quite right about the kind hearted May Parker.(Don't get me wrong I love Aunt May! But I always wondered what if we put a little darkness in the character? That's where this AU was born. Peter's life as Spider-Man wasn't easy before and now with a manipulative and abusive guardian, things only get more complicated but he's still determined to listen to his uncles words: "With great power comes great responsibility)





	1. Chapter 1

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I've always felt that they never gave Peter's spider sense much justice in homecoming, so a lot of this fic will involve the use of that ability so it's now a sixth sense that would be just as important as sight or hearing instead of an ability that's only used occasionally. I also really like MJ so the vague friendship they have was developed more before the events of Homecoming, but not by much.
> 
> Another thing is that this story will be following the plots and events of Spider-man: Homecoming but I'll try not to linger on that stuff to much since I'm sure if your reading this fanfic you've already seen that movie 5+ times. (My personal count is 15, though it would probably be in the upper 30s once i finish this fic lol. I'll keep you updated on movie count with every chapter)
> 
> Disclaimer- I don't actually know ASL so if there are issues or inconsistencies in that area of this story it's because of ignorance of the subject, I do try my best to research for it but even that's not as good as actually knowing it.

_The heat from the fire fills the air surrounding Peter._

_He's scared, and crying. Today should have been a good day, it should have been filled with happy music, presents, and cake. It was Peter's birthday after all, his sixth to be exact, but now none of that would be possible today. Especial as he stares at his uncle Ben who lay lifeless on the floor._

_"Peter, darling."_

_Peter's head snaps in the direction of the voice, a tall skinny woman stood in the doorway of the burning apartment. She seemed to be awaiting an answer, what did she ask?_

_... oh right._

Peter woke up with a jerk as his alarm clock beeped angrily.

Blinking the sleep out of his eyes as he looks around the room, he realizes immediately where he was but that doesn't help him relax, especially with the light tingle on the back of his neck that make his hair stand on end.

Aunt May is still in the apartment.

Ever since he was bitten by that spider during the Oscorp field trip, Peter has been relying heavily on what he now calls his spidey sense. Sure climbing up walls and the proportional strength of a spider is cool, but knowing exactly what level of danger that surrounds him is a more useful skill in Peter's opinion and with his daily life he's had a lot of time to understand the ability.

Pulling his legs over the side of the bed, Peter slowly gets up and starts his morning rituals. His spidey sense is just a gentle whisper in the back of his mind meaning aunt May is still sleeping, she usually doesn't get up till 10 anyways but there's always the small chance she might break tradition.

He got in late last night from patrolling as Spider-Man. It was later then he wanted to but some criminal found himself in a high speed chase with the police, Peter was on his way home when it started but he couldn't just ignore it. He spend half an hour chasing the car and another half waiting for the police to arrive to apprehend the criminal that was tangled in a mess of webbing. Peter was practically on auto pilot this morning so he didn't even realize he was heading to the door until he grabbed his house keys.

Shaking his head trying to fully wake up, he looked at his dresser that his keys were previously on and grabbed the Stark Industries name tag that laid on the corner before stuffing both items into his pocket.

His eyes widened as his spidey sense turned from a whisper into a noticeable hum.

May was awake.

He quickly looked back at the door to her bedroom before rushing out of the small apartment. It wasn't till he was down eight stories and on the sidewalk that his senses calmed down.

Shifting his backpack strap over his shoulder and putting his earbuds in, Peter headed down the street to start his commute to school.

He couldn't help but smile as he looked around, there were mentions of Spider-Man from passing conversations and an article of the local hero on the newspaper stand Peter passed. It was weird being famous but no one knowing it was you, not that Peter really cared, he was just glad to be doing good for his city.

Ben would be proud.

He winced at the reminder of the dream, the thought of it brought him a false sense of insecurity. After a quick glance around the subway train he stood on, he fell back on his spidey sense for reassurance.

Nothing.

Everything was fine.

He let out a breath he didn't realize he was holding. The scratchy intercom of the train signaled the train was stopping at a platform, having taken this route so many times he automatically readied to get off the train and positioned himself closer to the door. A few other passengers did the same and once the doors slide open a flood of people exited the train as other got on.

It was only a short walk to school from there but the time passed quickly as he let his mind wander with the music he listened to. Trusting his senses, he let his mind go on autopilot again.

It was till he was near the top of the steps of Midtown High that his spidey sense flared up. He immediately recognized it as non lethal and he snapped out of his thoughts as he searched to find the aggravation to his sense. He spotted the foot sticking out from behind the brick planter at the top of the steps.

Only a second had passed since the warning a spotting the foot but unfortunately he was to far in his stride to avoid to trip in a normal human way. He mentally sighed, he'd have to take the fall.

He let his foot catch and he stumbled forward putting his hands out to catch himself. Peter let out a gasp as the concrete scraped his hand, luckily all his stuff was in his back so no books or papers went flying everywhere, but that also meant the bag fell forward due to the loose straps, knocking Peter in the back of the head.

It doesn't matter if you have spider powers or not, when three large textbook and a number of notebooks knock you in the head, it's going to hurt.

A set of laughter burst out behind him, Peter didn't have to turn to know who it was but he did so anyways.

Flash Thompson and a couple of his friends where leaning against the large planter grinning and laughing.

"Watch it Parker, I just got these shoes. Don't need you scuffing them up," Flash snapped.

Peter let out a huff of anger and pulled his phone out of his pocket before yanking the earbuds out of the jack.

<Too late, looks like the ass wearing them has already done that>

Peter had been using the text to speech app for as long as he's had a smartphone, so typing the response took only a matter of seconds. He held the phone up at full volume as it relayed the text and he started walking away. Too bad the app can't put emotion into the words.

"Careful Parker, it looks like your phone wouldn't survive another fall," Flash threatened.

It was true, Peter's phone screen was shattered and didn't have much chance against gravity but Peter just ignored the comment and put his middle finger up as he put his phone back in his pocket. Flash won't need a text to speech to know what that means.

Once he was through the school doors Peter couldn't help but laugh to himself, he didn't realize how much MJ was rubbing off on him. Though she had insisted he start standing up to Flash more and ever since he got his powers he had no real reason to fear the guy. Though that didn't mean he should provoke the bully, he'd still have to act like the puny Parker everyone believed him to be. That would mean he'd have to take the punches if they were thrown.

Walking to his locker Peter pulled his earbuds out at the request of a teacher but noticed his palms in the process. They were scraped up pretty bad, enough so that a minute ago they were bleeding but they were already starting to heal. Surface scraps where always gone within hours Peter estimated that his hands would be healed by lunch at least he wouldn't have to worry about them during lab work in chemistry today. The teacher was always peculiar about open wounds when working with chemicals. It did make some sense but he still thought that was a little extreme.

The halls were flooded with students, it didn't take much to get around though since there was constant movement in the sea of people you just had to know where to find the openings. It was second nature to Peter at this point so within moment's he was at his locker unloading the unneeded textbooks. The chatter of students and the announcement channel filled the halls. When he first had his powers an environment like this would overstimulate his heightened senses but after some adjustment he was able to overcome the overwhelming mass of new information his brain was receiving.

He was a little too distracted with sorting out the supplies he'd need for the next few hours to notice Ned approach him from behind. He placed a lego Emperor Palpatine on Peter's shoulder.

"Join me, and together, we'll build my new lego Death Star," Ned said in a low voice.

Peter quickly turned with excitement plastered on his face. 'No way! That's awesome!' Peter signed.

He'd known Ned since they were in grade school. They hit it off immediately with their common nerdy interests despite not being able to communicate as easily. Ned didn't know sign language and Peter was slow at writing, not to mention Peter didn't exactly have the greatest spelling or handwriting. Eventually after only a year of knowing Peter, Ned started learning ASL during that school summer. It was a surprise when Peter returned to school that next year and Ned greeted him in sign. They practically haven't stopped talking since.

'How many pieces?' Peter asked

"3,803." Ned grinned "So you want to come over later and help me start it?"

Peter quickly zipped up his bag and closed his locker, he made sure to spin the combination lock before he followed Ned through the hall to their first class.

'I can't today, I've got the internship this afternoon' Peter signed.

"Dude, you always have that internship. Can't you just like skip it today? We haven't hung out in ages," Ned mumbled.

'You know I can't just skip it' Peter said with a sympathetic frown.

"I know." Ned looked down "But hey what if..."

Peter didn't actually hear what Ned said next he was momentary distracted as he watched Liz put up a homecoming banner. He'd been crushing on her since freshman year. She was so beautiful and amazing and smart. She was captain of the decathlon and was on the student council. She was always so nice to him. He remembered a time earlier in the year when Peter's phone died on a school trip, Ned wasn't there to translate and there wasn't a scrap of paper in sight. She offered him her phone for the remainder of the day, it was awesome since he got to use the excuse that he had her phone to hang out with her.

"... what do you say?" Ned said, obviously oblivious of the fact that Peter had completely zoned out.

Peter just nodded as he looked back at Ned trying to figure out what he said but his train of thought was interrupted by the school bell.

Peter motioned for them to continue down the hall to the classroom. They got into the discussion of whether or not Ray was Kylo Ren's sister. Peter didn't think so, none of the so called 'evidence' Ned was presenting was anything solid. Most of it was a stretch anyways though it was still fun to debate it with Ned.

They both took their seats in the classroom. The tardy bell rang and the teacher started the lesson.

* * *

 

The morning was uneventful, classes were easy, and Flash got pissed when Peter got an answer correct after the bully got it blatantly wrong. The last one was a bonus, though he was testing Flash's bounders more than usual today and it seemed to be having an effect. Peter could feel the gentle warnings his Spidey sense was giving him about Flash's temper, but seriously in F=ma, if F equals gravity it will always be proportional to the mass causing it to cancel out of the equation.

It's basic physics for pet's sake!

Peter had to run these calculations all the time when swinging around the city as Spider-man, so when the teacher called on him thinking he was distracted by his laptop, witch he was, he only had to glance at the scenario on the board to know the answer.

Approaching the lunch table that he, Ned, and MJ usually sat at, he noticed the two weren't there yet. Peter set his tray down then pulled a textbook from his bag. He needed to get an early start on the assigned homework from his physics class. One of the tougher parts about being Spider-Man and Peter Parker is not letting his grades fall. It's not that school was a struggle, he had no problem keeping his grades in the 95-100, except for English, fuck English. He was a science dude not an English guy. That subject was always border lining a B, and it was stressful seeing an average with anything but an A.

_Aunt May might kill me._

Aunt May would be mad, very very mad.

Despite most of school coming easy to Peter he now struggled with finding the time to actually do all his work. His goal most days is to finish it during any and all free time he can find at school but that's not always possible. In those cases he either has to go home early from patrolling or stay up late after getting back but he already gets back late anyways. Most nights on the street don't end till 1am witch leaves him less then six hours of sleep with him waking up at 6:45.

He only got about five hours last night and he can already fell the effects of the lost hour. Why do car thieves have to be out so late? He let out a small sigh as he rubbed his eyes. He was halfway done with the physics homework by the time MJ sat in front of him, he decided that was a good signal to put the work away and actually start eating.

He closed the book and now focused on his lunch tray.

"Anyone tell you that you make a great impression of a raccoon" She said in her usual flat and board sounding tone.

Peter let out a small laugh as he tugged his phone out of his pocket.

<Late night at the internship, had to stay up awhile to finish homework I forgot about>

She gave a small nod but a skeptical look, or was that just her normal face? She was always difficult to read.

At that point Ned found his usual spot next to Peter, he had to shuffle his textbook out of the way to make room for his friend.

"Peter I just thought of something" Ned said, his tone suggested that he made the biggest revelation of the century.

Peter tilted his head and raised an eyebrow to show interest, Ned took it as a sigh to continue.

"So you know how you don't need to use your mouth to talk, right?"

Peter gave a wary node as he took a bite of the overcooked spaghetti. MJ seemed to look up, curious as to where this conversation was going.

"Well if you wanted to couldn't you have a conversation with someone without stopping because you had to eat-,” Just as he said that Ned took a bit of his own spaghetti but left the fork in his mouth so he could sign 'then when they take a bite, they can just continue taking with sign?'

Peter just looked at him with an amused smile. He picked his phone up from the lunch table, he could have just signed his response but he wanted to include MJ.

<Your suggestion requires someone who can speak and sign. What do I do if my hands are busy feeding myself?>

Ned looked at his plate deep in thought. "You're right.." He paused for a moment before continuing "What if you had someone else feed you?" He said it like he just solved world hunger.

<Ned, I'm not going to have someone feed me> Peter wished his phone voice had a "that's ridiculous" tone, he hoped his expression at least showed that.

"Hmm, you're right. That would be kinda weird." Ned had his thinking face on again.

Peter set his phone down to continue eating. He was getting a drink from his milk carton when MJ spoke up.

"I bet he wouldn't mind Liz feeding him." She had a mischievous grin.

Peter almost choke on the milk. It was dripping down his chin now and he hid his face in his elbow as he looked at MJ with a "what the hell!" expression before quickly typing into his phone with his free hand.

<What the hell exclamation point exclamation point exclamation point exclamation point>

Shit, he forgot about that feature of his current text to speech app.

Both his friends couldn't stop laughing.

"Wow, I can't believe that got me four exclamation points," MJ grinned.

"I've only ever heard him use two," Ned chuckled.

<Shut up>

Peter felt a little embarrassed but was also laughing to. Hearing the mechanical voice say that so nonchalantly was pretty funny. He wiped the milk off his face and stood up as he grabbed his phone. He shook his head at the two before grabbing his tray to take it to the trash. He was still grinning at the incident as he approached the trash can half way across the lunch room.

As he hit the tray against the side of the trash, his mood was immediately interrupted by a warning from his spidey sense. It was never an exact warning and was vague, though still informative enough to give him an idea of what was happening.

Non-lethal projectile.

He quickly pieced together what he saw on his way over to the trash.

Peter defiantly remembered seeing Flash a few tables away, he had a cupcake and an apple near his tray. If he was going to throw something it would definitely be one of those. Again it wasn't humanly possible to dodge so he'd have to take the hit.

_Don't be the cupcake. Don't be the cupcake. Don't-_

He felt a hard conk against his head. Looking down a half eaten apple landed at Peter's feet. Thank god, the cupcake would have been a nightmare cleaning out of his hair in the school bathroom.

Peter quickly looked up pretending to scan the room to find the culprit, he didn't have to fake the scowl he was giving to Flash when his eyes landed on the bully. Flash just responded with a smug look and a shrug that said 'oops'

That guy was infuriating. Peter let out a huff of anger as he put his tray into the metal cubby that opened into the kitchen on the other side.

He turned on his heal and immediately went back to his seat. His friends noticed his sudden mood change.

"Dude, whats up?" Ned asked sounding concerned.

<Nothing, just Flash being a dick> Peter slid his physics book back in front of him and pulling it open to the pages that had his homework assignment tucked into it. He continued his work.

"Tell us something new," MJ rolled her eyes.

"What'd he do this time?" Ned continued.

<Threw an apple at me> As Peter pressed enter he realized how silly of a thing it was to be mad at, that still didn't make him feel any less so.

<He also tripped me this morning> Peter continued. With the context his anger seemed less childish.

Remembering that morning he glanced at his palm subtly. Just like he thought it was already healed.

"That guys just some bitch trying to prove he's tough by picking on the weak," MJ said as she now gave Flash a death glare. Even at this distance the bully was uncomfortable under her gaze.

<Hey> Peter protested.

"What? It's only the truth," she shrugged and turned back to them. "You're an easy target Peter, that's why he picks on you." She said matter of factly.

Her comment brought a small smile to his face, he was the exact opposite of an easy target. Unfortunately he can't actually reveal that to anyone. Peter sighed now a little frustrated.

MJ just rolled her eyes at his silence. "Whatever, either take my advice or don't. It's your life."

After that MJ and Ned continued to talk with each other while Peter finished up his homework.

It wasn't long till the bell rang signaling the end of lunch.

Ned and Peter headed down to chemistry while MJ had a History class.

Peter was already prepared for a lab day and it was one of his favorite activities, even if Ned wasn't that into it.

Today they were working with a powdered acid, they had to take extra precautions in their experiments with thicker gloves and masks to go along with their usual goggles. Mr. Cobbwell went over the safety procedure about four times before they even got out the lab

equipment. The experiment was going to test the reaction of the acid with other substances. From the sound of it they were pretty tame reaction, one was going to change color, another was going to bubble, and the third was going to do both. Peter would admit for all the safety that was put into the experiment the reactions were anticlimactic.

Ned helped Peter gather the supplies and equipment then grabbed a notebook paper and pen to scratch out the table that they were going to document the reactions on. It was long ago decided that Peter should be the one to measure and mix the chemicals. Ever since an incident at the beginning of the year when Ned burnt his eyebrows off because he forgot a few steps in the instructions given. It was always funny to joke about but Peter noticed the incident really shook Ned up, not wanting his friend's nervousness to cause another accident Peter took over when doing the experiments.

Halfway through the lab everything was just as exciting as they expected it. Peter and Ned were timing the bubble reaction for the fifth time, and just as the last four times it went as expected. Peter prepared for the final experiment.

'Almost done, just need to get more acid for the final experiment' Peter signed but his hands felt clunky in the thick gloves, luckily it didn't hinder his communication with Ned.

Ned gave a small nod as he looked down at the data they collected.

Peter turned to walk over to the large lab table at the front of the room that had the extra ingredients. He stood in the small line that had developed as the rest of the students readied for the final stage in the experiment.

Someone at the front of the line was struggling with something so the teacher was preoccupied with helping them. Peter lightly started tapping his gloved hand against his leg as he waited.

_Imminent_ _danger! Close proximity, highly lethal!_

His spidey sense screamed causing a sharp shiver run down his spine.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Oof sorry about the cliff hanger, second chapter should be out some time next week.  
> Also sorry for any typos, I reread the thing three times trying to find them but I always end up missing something anyways.
> 
>  
> 
> Movie count: 19


	2. Chapter 2

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Obviously this is not next week but I had more time to write then expected! If things continue like they do next chapter should be out this weekend, maybe.

The severity of his spidey sense was almost painful as it ran down his spine.

Peter quickly turned scanning the room, his first thought being that someone might have found out his secret identity and was now targeting him. But no one new entered the room.

_Close proximity_

He went over the warning again, whatever it was had to be in this room meaning if someone was attacking then it would have been blatantly obvious by now.

Something suddenly changed in his spidey sense. It was a warning he'd never felt before it was like his senses were panicking but there was something else.

Shit, now wasn't the time to decipher a new code sent by his spidey sense.

He caught sight of Ned as he got up and trailed across the room. Everything felt like it was in slow motion, but that was no excuse to be wasting time.

Ned passed behind a set of students but that immediately drew his attention to what the students were doing.

Everything made sense now.

Without even thinking Peter's body lurched into action. His speed was almost superhuman but he couldn't afford to hold back, luckily the rest of the class was distracted by their work to notice.  

He was there in seconds but the only thing he could do was grab the beaker that the students were were just about to pour the acid into.

As if someone hit a button time was flowing like normal again.

Pain shot through Peter's arm as the powdered acid was poured onto his arm, but it was better that then into the beaker.

"Peter!" Ned shouted from behind the students as Peter gasped and tried to hold back whimpers of pain.

The two students looked up in shock but quickly stopped pouring the acid but their slow reaction wasn't enough to keep most of the chemical off Peter's arm.

Mr. Cobbwell was already rushing over "Peter what were you thinking!" He said more worried then angry. The teacher lead Peter over to one of the large sinks at the edge of the classroom. Peter's injured arm shook with pain and he couldn't make himself let go of the beaker.

Mr. Cobbwell gently took the beaker from Peter's hand to set it aside but looked at it in shock when he noticed what the substance was. He set it aside and helped Peter get his glove off and lab coat. They rinsed his arm under cold water, the angry red burns from the acid was already noticeable.

"Hydrogen Peroxide, how did they even get that," the teacher mumbled. He said something else and his tone was of disbelief but Peter was a little to preoccupied by the pain to recognize what he said. Mr. Cobbwell then turned to look at the rest of the class scanning the room. "Flash!" He called out.

Flash was watching the commotion with wide eyes like the rest of the student's but he straightened when his name was called. "Sir?"

"Run to down to the nurse, tell her we have second degree chemical burns." He ordered

"Yes, sir." Flash rushed out of the classroom after taking his safety gear off.

Looking back at Peter, Mr. Cobbwell examined the burn. "Keep that under the water, we need to dilute the acid as much as possible." He then turned back to the class.

"Everyone stop and step away from the tables." He said quickly, everyone complied immediately. Ned took the opportunity to rush to Peter's side. "Carl, Magi," He said pointing at the two students who were the ones to trigger Peter's spider sense. The teacher reached back and grabbed the beaker of hydrogen peroxide. "Where did you get the contents of this beaker?" His tone meant business and the room was dead silent in awaiting an answers.

Carl went as white as a sheet, he glanced at Peter before returning his gaze to the teacher. "I um, got it from there." He pointed to the opposite side of a room to a cabinet with clear glass doors. In it where the contents of a lab set up for a different class.

"Carl, this was from the junior's lab experiment. How many time have I told the class to not grab chemicals from anywhere in the class except for the front desk." He looked at the student with stern eyes.

Carl just looked at the floor nervously. At that point Flash had returned with the school nurse and she had a small first aid bag in hand.

The teacher turned his gaze to the rest of the classroom as he held up the beaker "This here is hydrogen peroxide, if the powder acid your using were to contact it, it would have created a violent explosion that would have hurt everyone in proximity of those students. We're lucky Peter noticed the incident."

The pain in Peter's arm had subsided some but it still shook uncontrollably. Peter glanced up at Ned who looked down at him worried. He would have been caught in the explosion to, he would have died. The thought of it made Peter's chest tight with grief at the thought of losing his best friend.

Peter suddenly realized what his spidey sense was telling him before.

_Panic, grief._

Or at least the potential of. It was a weird revelation, his senses have never warned him of the well being of others, only of himself. He looked down into the sink as he felt the tug of tears at the corner of his eyes. He gritted his teeth trying to hold them back the pain wasn't helping much with his efforts.

What if he lost his best friend? He didn't even know what he would do.

"Peter?" Ned said quietly, he could tell something other the the injury was bothering his friend.

Peter snapped out of his thoughts and looked back at Ned. He gave the other teen a smile.

'I'm fine, just hurts' Peter managed to sign with one hand.

The physical pain was nothing compared to the emotional pain. He was glad to take the former instead of the ladder.

Ever since the spider bite, Peter always gets nervous when receiving medical attention. It's harder to hide super healing when its being examined by a professional. Luckily the chemical burn seemed to be severe enough to not heal right off the bat, though when they made it to the nurses office she gave a weird look as she examined the burn. Peter suddenly got nervous. He struggled to pull his phone out of his pocket since it was on the side of his burnt arm and he was sitting on a small bench, he still managed to finally get it out.

The nurse grabbed the phone from his hand. "Hey, you know the rules about phone," She said with a warning. At that point she had let go of his injured arm and was gathering supplies from the nearby cabinet. They had wrapped his arm in bandages before leaving the classroom but she needed to be back in her office to clean the burn properly.

A spike of panic shot through Peter's chest, he really hated not being able to communicate and he needed to know if she noticed anything weird. He quickly reached out with his good hand trying to sign to her, but he didn't have much hope, very rarely did people actually know ASL. She tilted her head obviously not understanding, Peter sighed in frustration. He motioned to his throat shaking his head then reached out for his phone gesturing for her to give it to him.

She looked from him to the phone then seemed to understand immediately, he opened it quickly and went straight to the text to speech app. She only watched him for a moment before she continued to gather the supplies then pulled put a stool to sit in front of him. Peter really needed to put a sticker or something on his phone telling people he was mute, this is not the first time one of the school's faculty has taken his phone, though most teachers that he interacts with on a normal basis know better.

The nurse gave another odd look to the burn, Peter typed as fast as he could one handed remembering what he was going to say before.

<Is everything alright? You got a weird look>

"No no, your teacher said they were second degree burns.... I guess he must have been mistaken." She started cleaning his arm gently then applied an ointment before wrapping his arm in bandages. These were fit more snugly then the last.

<Guess it wasn't that bad then> Peter tried to brush the comment off casually, it probably would have been worse if it weren't for his altered physiology.

"You were very lucky, and you saved those kids to. How'd you know they had the wrong chemical? The beaker looked like it was just water." She put medical tape on the bandage before pulling away.

Peter was quick with an excuse.

<I saw the bottle they grabbed, knew they got it from the wrong cabinet>

The nurse nodded seeming to be satisfied with the answer. She started typing something on the computer. "Do you need me to call your parents? If you need to we can send you home early." She turned on her stool to face him again.

He quickly shook his head before typing.

<I'm fine. I really don't want to miss any of my classes today>

Truth was he didn't want to be sent home, his spider sense never got a rest while he was there especially since May wouldn't have left for work yet.

"You sure? Most kids love the idea of leaving early," She said with a small laugh, Peter just nodded. The nurse then turned to write on a notepad "Well I'll give you a note to excuse you from activities that might irritate the burn. I'm still going to need to call you parents." She handed him the note before turning back to the computer.

He took the note and stood up.

<Can I go back to class?>

She gave a small nod and waved him off. “Take it easy with that arm!" She called out.

He was already to far down the hall to give her a response.

* * *

 

The incident that afternoon was the gossip of the day, though it always started with "Carl almost blew up the chemistry lab." There really wasn't much mention of Peter.

It was the last school activity of the day, Peter sat on stage with the other decathlon members. He wasn't allowed a phone in a real tournament so he had to use a whiteboard. After the finale set of questions everyone started to pack things up, Peter decided to take the opportunity to talk with Mr. Harrington about not being able to go to the nationals. Everyone overheard the conversation, causing protests from them all. Abe, one of the students still on the stage, took Peter's whiteboard and drew a frowny face on it.

"Really Peter?" Liz said with a little disappointment.

Ouch, he'll admit that one kinda hurt. Peter quickly started typing into his phone.

<Sorry guys, if Mr. Stark needs me I need to be there>

"Please, like you've even been in the same room as Tony Stark." Flash scoffed.

"Ask for time off." Abe said as he started doodle on the whiteboard.

<Sorry, I really can't>

As much as he'd love to stay in D.C for a weekend, he really couldn't afford to stay. The internship needed him as Peter Parker and the city needed him as Spider-Man.

"Fine, Flash you're alternate for Peter.”  Liz sighed.

"Don't know, I was planning a hot date with black widow," Flash mocked.

"That is false." Abe lifted Peter's whiteboard up with what everyone could tell was a picture of Flash getting shot by the Black Widow. Peter had to hold in a small laugh.

"What did I tell you about using the whiteboard for comedic purposes?" Mr. Harrington sighed. Abe just drew another frowny face but this one with a thumbs down.

* * *

 

After practice Peter made his way to Manhattan. It didn't take very long using New York transit and within the hour he was standing in front of the tallest building in New York, Avengers tower.

Despite the renaming it was still one of the major headquarters of Stark Industries, so as a legitimate intern for the company Peter was granted access to a lot of floors that visitors would never see, though he was never able to visit the top twenty. Peter assumed that's where the avengers used to live before the accords. He got a small sense of guilt in the back of his mind, though he wasn't sure why since they were breaking the law. What Captain America was doing was wrong, right?

Peter shook the thought out of his head, no sense in worrying about that now.

He already showed his ID to the front desk and they let him go into the elevator. He pressed the button leading the the 12th floor and it zoomed up letting the doors open with a ding when on the correct floor.

"Afternoon Peter!" Said a cheerful woman in a lab coat, she was carrying a large boxes full of scraps that towered above her head. The pile rocked at her sudden stop to greet him and would have fallen over if Peter hadn't gone over to take a few boxes off her load.

She was an older woman and the one responsible for Peter as an intern, her name was Dr. Henry and she was one of the few people that actually enjoyed Peter's presence on the research and development team. Most just thought of him as some kind of promotional stunt Stark was trying to pull, they didn't take his ideas seriously and they always gave him grunt work. Dr. Henry was the only one willing to take responsibility for him and when he's not doing chores for the other developers she lets him use her work space for small projects.  

"Thanks Peter, you're such a sweetheart." She shifted the remaining boxes in her grip "They're going by Dr. Eddy's desk," She motioned her head in that direction then lead the way. Peter followed behind and set the boxes down next to the ones Dr. Henry put down. He was glad the trip wasn't a long one, the boxes were irritating his burn.

Peter then pulled his phone out and started to type.

<Are these the scraps for the O.N. project?>

"No, Dr. Eddy has been working on some "revolutionary idea." You know how he gets when he has those, tunnel vision till the thing works or fails." She sighed as she ran her fingers through graying brown hair.

Peter just nodded understandingly.

<Guess that means more fun for us right? We can work on the O.N. project without him yelling at me for touching the tools>

"I like how you think, Peter. Why don't we go over th- What happened to your arm?" She suddenly noticed the bandages on Peter.

Peter looked down at his arm then back at his phone as he typed.

<There was an accident in chemistry today, powdered acid burn, but don't worry it's really not that bad. I can still work today>

"You sure?" She asked warily.

Peter just nodded.

"Alright, if you say so but you better tell me if it starts bugging you." She held a serious tone as she pointed a finger at him.

<I will. I will> he quickly typed then held his hands up in defense.

"Good," she grinned as she crossed her arms. "Right, like I was saying before.." She trailed off as she turned and started walking through the large open lab towards he work station. Peter trailed behind her and it wasn't till she was pulling out schematics that she continued. "Let's go over the blueprints, then we can gather supplies for the prototypes."

She glanced over at him with a sly smile then opened the schematics covering the large table. Peter looked at them with a pleasant surprise.

<These are my blueprints.>

"And they're brilliant, I don't see why we shouldn't be working on them. You really have a mind for inventing Peter. Hell, I'd recon you'd even give Tony Stark a run for his money if you opened your own company." She nudged Peter who still stood in a delighted shock. He finally snapped out of it and started typing.

<I don't think I'm that good, it's Tony Stark where talking about>

<He's, well, he's Tony Stark>

"Don't be so modest Peter, now let's get this started. I want to see Dr. Eddy's face when he sees your brilliant prototypes!"

Peter just nodded excitedly, they work very efficiently for the next few hours.

Despite the internship not involving any crime fighting or ass kicking with the Avengers, he was still happy to have it.

* * *

 

The noisy city bustled below as Peter perched atop one of the large skyscrapers of New York. He crouched on the corner with his hands gripping the ledge as his knees stuck out to the side slightly. It was his usual resting pose as Spider-Man and it was strangely comfortable, it was position that was relaxed but at the same time easy to jump into action if necessary.

Peter took a small breath as he relaxed, he never felt so at ease then when in the Spider-Man suit. He could be who he really was, no need to hide his abilities, no need to act clumsy for appearances, no Flash, no ignoring his spidey sense, and most importantly...

No aunt May.

He almost wanted to talk, he was getting so close to. Peter just wanted to say one sentence.

"... I-.." Fear shot through him at just the first syllable. He clinched his eyes shut and growled at himself in frustration.

_Nope, ok, nope. Not today._

He let out a sigh as he stood up

_Come on Peter, you know you can talk. She's not here, she won't hear you. No one can up here._

He shook his head. Not even his own pep talk would work, he'll just have to try again tomorrow.

Today he would just focus on being himself, being Spider-Man.

Grinning to himself under the mask he leaned forward as he puts his weight on the tip of his toes, within the next moment he's free falling down the side of the skyscraper. He suddenly jerks his arms out letting the thin fabric connected to his arms and side catch the air causing him to glide. He reaches his hand up activating his web shooters letting the specially designed substance stick to a nearby building allowing him to swing through the streets at an exhilarating speed.

He wondered if this is what it felt like for Mr. Stark when he flew around as Iron Man. The sense of freedom to go where you want, strong enough to fight gravity without large clunky mechanisms like planes or helicopters.  

Swinging from building to building he watched people below pull out their phone trying to snap pictures of the famous Spider-Man. Most would end up blurry and unfocused anyways but he appreciated their efforts.

Peter let go of his webbing at the height of his swing, he did a flip in the air and did a graceful landing on the targeted lamp post. He sat in his crouched position as he scanned the area.

"Hey, Spider-Man!" Someone called below, it was a dad and his little girl. Peter looked down at then and waved. The little girl waved back bringing a smile to Peter's face.

"Can... Can we get a picture?" The girl asked nervously. "With you?" She continued.

Peter reached his hand over activating a button that was near his web shooters. When Mr. Stark found out about Peter's inability to speak he added a new feature to the suits design. With subtle hand moments an algorithm was able to predict what words Peter was trying to say and relayed them through a voice. It was higher then he would have liked but other then that it's what he imagined his real voice would sound like.

"Of course!" There wasn't just a monotone reply, he hadn't figured out how Mr. Stark did it yet but he managed to get the voice to sound with the wanted emotion that Peter felt it would have.

Peter jumped down from the lamp post landing silently on his toes. The little girl ran over to him grabbing his legs in a hug she mumbled something that sounded like a 'thank you.'

"It's really just a picture, it's no problem." He pat her head gently.

The dad pulled his phone out and Peter crouched down next to the girl. Holding up a peace sign, the little girl copied his gesture and the dad quickly took the picture.

Peter stood up and looked at the buildings above. "I should get back to my rounds, it was fun taking a picture with you." He ruffled the little girls hair.

"Wait, before you go can I get one with you?" The dad asked quickly. Not seeing a reason to say no Peter nodded.

The dad came up next to Peter holding his phone out, a second passed longer then it should to take a picture and Peter tilted his head realizing something.

"Hey, you know that's taking video right-" His spidey sense activated that a small shock.

_Grabbed from behind._

Peter quickly jumped away, seeing that the man nearly grabbed his mask.

"Come on, man." Peter protested. He didn't sound mad but instead playful he was surprised the voice simulation would detect that's what he wanted.

"Sorry, I had to try. You know everyone wants to know who you are.”

Peter just shook his head with a small laugh, then jumped in the air shooting out webbing to quickly swing away.

That was a close call, maybe he shouldn't be so open with picture from now on.

* * *

 

**8:32PM**

**Hey, Happy**

**Went patrolling today**

**There were two muggings that I stopped, left the bad guys for the police**

**There was a lost Dominican lady**

**She gave me a churro**

**Other than that is was a slow day**

**8:38PM**

**Are there anymore missions coming up?**

**I just feel like I could be doing more**

**This is Peter by the way**

**Parker**

Peter leaned back as he looked up at the sky away from his phone.

'why did I mention the churro' He signed absentmindedly. He had turned off the translate so the voice didn't pick it up.

He currently sat on the ledge of a building with his legs hanging over the side, he glanced at his phone clock and sighed with regret.

He'd have to go home now if he was going to have enough time to do the chores May ask for, he really didn't want to go but the consequences were unnerving.

He quickly finished the churro the nice woman gave him and pulled down his mask to cover his mouth as he grabbed his backpack that was resting under the ledge on the roof. He pulled it on making sure the straps were pulled tight before he jumped off the roof shooting out a string of web.

It should only take him five minutes to get home, he always made sure that his patrol ended in Queens near his neighborhood.

Just as he was turning a corner a faint flash of blue caught his eye from a passing alleyway, he landed on a nearby roof skidding to a stop. His apartment building was in sight, just a few blocks in the opposite direction, but as he looking in the direction of the blue light he felt a faint prickle on the back of his neck.

_Potential danger._

He shook his hand nervously as he took the second to decide.

His breath shook as he took off towards the alleyway. He was Spider-Man right now, not Peter Parker. He couldn't let his fear control him while he wore the mask.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So I fell like there needs to be a little explanation for the internship. In most fan fictions they just kinda push Peter and Tony relationship where one seeks out the other, but in the movies Tony's to busy being, well being Tony Stark as he goes about SI business and Avenger stuff and Peter only has one way of contacting him witch is through Happy and even Happy doesn't pay much attention to the kid.  
> So! My though was that if Peter had an actual internship with SI then Stark's SI business would overlap with Peter's life causing more potential to interact and create a stronger bond then what they have in the Movie.
> 
> Well it makes sense to me at lest. Anyways felt like sharing some of my though process with you guys. I'd like to know what you think.  
> Movie count: 20


	3. Chapter 3

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> And this chapter is where you get to see the true colors of Aunt May, also Tony is finally introduced even if it is just for a moment.

"Dude, we got everything you need. Gravity guns, laser rifles, hell even climbers that let you be Spider-Man. I wouldn't be surprised if that bug's using our merch.” The Shocker leaned against the van door with a sly smile. Just looking at him you knew the guy was bad news, he wore a gauntlet that covered his entire lower arm and he already demonstrated it as a powerful weapon.

"Bro, I'm just looking for something for a stick up. I'm not lookin' to send someone to space." Prowler looked at the weapons but it was obvious he wasn't into what the other man was pitching. He was just looking for a pistol, he didn't need any of this hybrid alien weapons.

The Shocker caught on to the other man's hesitancy. "Look, hey I get you. You want something small, well we just got a shipment from Sokovia. So quality weapons made from the scraps of Ultron. This stuff's pretty limited though but I swear you wont regret it." He grabbed what looked like an arm that was modified to blast on command, it almost reminded Prowler of Iron Man's blasters.

"Look, you guys got some overpowered shit here. I'm really not looking for this kind of stuff." Prowler glanced at the other guy next to the Shocker, both had this crazy vibe about them and he really didn't want to get caught up in any of this business.

"You called us man..." the shocker trailed off as he activated his gauntlet. It buzzed to life and Prowler to a quick step back.

"Man, you really need to work on your marketing skill," said a voice sounding too young for any of the men there to have said it.

The three quickly looked up surprised to see Spider-man perched on the roof of the van. The two weapons dealers immediately pointed what they had at the hero. The shocker swung up at Spider-man but Peter quickly jumped up into the darkness of the alleyway.

"Shit, where'd he go!" The Shocker said angrily. 

Prowler was glad to take the chance to run out of there but the Shocker's goon grabbed him. "This guy set us up!"

"No, no you got it wrong." He tried to struggle but he suddenly felt the sharp metal of one of the hybrid weapons dig into his back. He froze.

"Dude, what'd I tell ya." Peter said as he fell from about putting himself between Prowler and the good. "Be nice to the customer!" With that Peter decked goon in the jaw. Prowler made his escape, this time successful because of Spider-man, crime in New York was getting to crazy for him.

Peter slammed his palm against the goon's chest causing him to fly back against the alley wall. He suddenly got a spike in his spidey sense.

_ Attack from the left. _

Without a second guess Peter ducked and the Shocker's fist went over him. With one swift motion Peter turned on his toes and punched the Shocker in the stomach, the guy was knocked back to the ground about a few feet away. Peter winced, he needed to work on pulling his punches more. The Shocker was gasping for air clearly having the wind knocked out of him.

The goon suddenly grabbed Peter's right arm. He couldn't help the gasp of pain that escaped as the man's fingers pressing into Peter's still healing burn. It was distraction enough for the Shocker to quickly get up to hit Peter with the full force of the gauntlet. Peter went flying down the alleyway leaving a heavy dent in a dumpster.

The weapons dealers took the opportunity to get into the van and speed off.

Peter groaned as he stumbled out of the trash pile, he bolted after the van and with the vehicle turned a corner Peter took to the skies with his webbing. The Shocker started firing the Ultron arm at Peter out of the back of the van's open doors. It took more effort then he'd like to admit to dodge the attacks. He really wanted to make a snappy remark on the guys aim but both his hands were busy. 

The van hit a speed bump causing the Shocker to lose his balance and Peter took the opportunity to shoot two strands of webbing at the van. With a sharp jerk he pulled himself forward with his feet out in front as he delivered a flying kick to the Shocker. The van swerved at the sudden jerk from Peter's entrance causing the two to stumble around the cabin.

The Shocker recovered surprisingly quick and swing at Peter with the gauntlet. Peter quickly leaned to the side and the gauntlet buried itself in the metal of the van.

"Damn, that's really cool." Peter said as he looked from the gauntlet to the Shocker's face whose was very close to his own. "Where do you guys get this stuff anyways. Looks alien."

"Guess you won't find out," the Shocker mumbled with a smirk and Peter's spidey sense spiked again.

_ Attack from the right. _

There was no space to dodge so when the Shocker yanked the gauntlet out of the van's metal, a shock of pain ran through Peter's body as he was thrown out of the van onto the streets. The goon driving managed to arm one of the weapons while Peter wasn't looking. He hit the ground with a thud and before he could stop himself his head smacked against the curb. The world went dark.

* * *

 

"Friday, test the connections on the arm," Tony Stark said as he put his screwdriver between his teeth so he could have both hands free as he twisted wires together in the exposed panel of his mark 48 iron man suit, it was a prototype for a more efficient and sleek model. There were still a lot of bugs to work out and it was hardly flight ready let alone battle ready.

<Test successful, boss> The A.I FRIDAY responded.

Stark took the screwdriver out of his mouth to screw the missing panel back in place. "Awesome, glad that nightmare's over." He let out a sign "Now for the rest of the problems." He started unscrewing another section. 

<And you haven't even implemented the nano tech yet>

"Have to perfect the framework before the nano tech can copy it." He leaned back on his shop stool after he took the second panel off. He reached over to a nearby toolbox where his coffee mug sat and downed the rest of its contents. "Get another pot ready, Fri." He pushed away from the table the mark 48 currently laid on to wheel over to another table with holograms of blueprints projected above it.

<Boss, its almost 9:00PM are you sure that's a wise idea?>

"Just do it," He said as he waved the A.I's warning away with his hand.

<Yes, boss>

Stark smiled at the familiar hiss of the coffee maker at the other end of the room. He studied the blueprints for a moment as he made corrections where they were needed, when the coffee maker made a faint ding he saved the project then stood up to walk across the workshop.

DUM-E squeaked happily as the old robot reached for the coffee pot. Stark lightly tapped the robot's claw.

"What did I tell you about grabbing glass, buddy," Stark said as he reached for the pot to refill his mug. He brought the mug to his lips as he savored the the much needed caffeine.

DUM-E just looked down with a sad boop, Stark affectionately pat the robot's arm and it quickly cheered up with a happy beep, lifting its claw up and down. There was a faint clicking coming from the robot's joint's that made Stark frown. He set his coffee mug on the counter and crouched down to examine the bot.

"Something wrong with your motor?" He asked as he examined the joints.

DUM-E got excited for the sudden attention and twirled almost hitting Stark in the head.

"Hey, watch it there." Stark warned with a faint laugh, DUM-E calmed down but not by a lot. Stark let out a sigh as he realized the problem. "Your motor looks like it's had it."

He looked from the prototype suit to the old robot, "Guess it won't hurt to take a break from that thing." He grabbed his mug and motioned for DUM-E to follow as they went to a different section of the lab. He dug through a box of scraps and found a newer motor that would replace the failing one. Stark sat down at chair and the bot approached him, he grabbed a few tools and worked on the replacement.

<Boss, Spider-Man seems to been in an altercation with a group of criminals>

"Send in Sneaky to keep an eye on him, keep me updated if the kid gets hurt, though he should be able to handle it himself." Stark said as he focused on DUM-E's repairs, he's worked on the bot so much in his life he could probably do the repair in his sleep but he was very sentimental about it, not that he would admit it, so he took his time with the repair. Plus he wanted to take a break from the headache waiting on the table across the room.

<The Mark 15 has been deployed>

* * *

 

Peter slowly nodded awake, as the world came into view he realized he was no longer on the street but instead on a rooftop. He looked around confused, there was no why he managed to climb up here. Scanning the roof he saw Iron Man standing in front of him, Peter quickly got to his feet he made sure his translator was on as he signed.

"Mr. Stark, you didn't have to come all the way out here to help me. I had it under control." He said quickly, Peter already noticed that this suit wasn't the usual red and gold, but instead a dark chrome, the colors seemed to change to different shades in subtle variants. He'd probably geek out over it if it weren't for his splitting headache. 

<He didn't> Spoke the A.I as it opened the face plate to prove it. The suit was empty <I am FRIDAY, Mr. Stark's personal artificial assistant>

"Oh.." His translator even managed to portray his disappointment. "Please don't tell Mr. Stark you found me knocked out." He then said quickly, he suddenly realized how embarrassing that would be. 

<I have specific orders to do so, I can not go against them>

"Come one, please just this-" He stopped mid sentence as he looked at the sky, it was darker then he remembered it. "What time is it?" He asked quickly.

<9:30PM>

Panic shot through Peter's body. "I got to go,” He said quickly, the simulated voice picked up his panic. He hated it but he didn't have time to complain now.

<I suggest you receive medical attention>  

"No, I'm fine!" He replied quickly before bolting past the suit and heading to his apartment. 

His heart rate rose and he felt like his legs would give out from under him. He knew he was going to be late, but not this late. He didn't know what aunt May would do, he just had to get there before things got worse.

The ten minute trip was cut down to four as Peter pushed his limits. Getting to the window just outside his bedroom, he hoped he could pass off his absence as just him falling asleep in his bed. Slowly lifting the window he crawled in staying close to the ceiling and used his foot to close the window. He slowly crawled over to the door that was slightly agar, he could hear gentle clunking from the kitchen, she must be making dinner. The moment he entered the apartment his spidey sense was giving off a noticeable hum in the back of his mind, his hair stood on end and his body naturally prepared for a fight or flight reaction.

_ High risk area. _

Peter shot a short strand of webbing at the door then gently closed it as he lowered himself from the ceiling. Once it was closed he pulled his masked off and turned around only to freeze when he saw his best friend sitting on his bed.

"You're the Spider-Man," he said in disbelief as the lego death star rolled out of his hands and shattered on the floor.

"What was that?" May called from the kitchen. Peter quickly pressed his palm against the spider symbol on his chest causing the suit to get bigger and fall lose at his feet. He kicked it towards a bundle of other clothes to hid it, he grabbed the closest pair of pants and a shirt pulling them on.

He looked towards Ned and quickly signed 'you can't tell May, she doesn't know.' His panic picked up as he heard May's footsteps walking towards his door.

"Dude, you were on the ceiling!" Ned whispered loudly "And all those things you did on YouTube, And-" Peter snapped his fingers at Ned to get him to focuses.

'You have to promise me you can't tell her' He signed quickly. At that moment May opened the door.

"Peter, glad to see you made it home," she looked at him with her lip held in a tight smile. "Ned, thank you for staying but I think you should go."

'what if we had him for dinner? I'm sure his parents won't mind' Peter was silently pleading for Ned to stay, May wouldn't dare do anything in front of Ned.

"Peter it's late, Ned should really go home." May said with a more of a push to her tone. Peter doubt anyone but himself would have picked up on it, especially Ned who was to socked by Peter's sudden reveal as Spider-Man. Peter tensed as the hum from his spidey sense turned into a buzz that stretched almost painfully down his spine. 

"Um, yeah I should go," Ned said absentmindedly as he walked out of Peter's room. Peter could tell Ned was still processing but he mentally begged for his friend to say.

'Come on Ned, just for a few hours' He signed quickly. May stepped in front of Peter blocking him from Ned's view, he doubt Ned saw what he said. Before Peter could make another attempt May had turned Ned around and was walking him towards the door, she made sure to keep his back to Peter. 

"Peter, darling. I'll be right back." She said with a small smile. Peter froze as he watched his aunt with wide eyes, her hands were closer to Ned's neck then Peter's liking. His spidey sense kicked up a few levels as the feeling from the chemistry lab returned.

_ Friend in danger. _

May looked back at Peter with another smile, she had said something to Ned but Peter didn't catch it. He looked with wide eyes and May smile got bigger before she spoke again. "Peter says his good nights, right darling?"

Peter just gave a shaky node and a faint whimper left his throat as he watched his friend walk out the door and his spidey sense calmed down but only to flair up again with a new warning.

_ Personal danger. _

The moment the door closed the kind face May worse was replaced with a disgusted scowl as she looked at Peter. "You worthless piece of trash," she said in a low angry tone. "I gave you one fucking job and you screwed that up," She slowly started walking towards him and he was physically shaking with fear.

'I'm sorry' He signed, but his hands were shaking so much he almost couldn't make the motion.

"Do you think I work all day to provide for your ungrateful ass, just so you can run around the neighborhood?" She glanced down at his arm noticing the bandages. "I heard about your accident today, you deserved it," she scoffed. With a quick motion she grabbed his bandaged arm and squeezed, he tried to hold back his whimpers of pain and it took all he had to keep himself from pulling away. That would only make things worse. May leaned in close so her face was only inches from Peter's, he turned his head slightly squinting his eyes shut. "Say it." her words felt like knives.

Of course he wouldn't speak, that's not what she meant. A long time ago she told him to never say anything and he listened, he had no other choice, but she still wanted an answer so he signed her one. 'I deserved it.'

A smile twitched across her lips. "And don't forget that," she tightened her grip on his arm and he gasped. She started dragging him through the small apartment and down the hall that lead to the two bedrooms. The doorway to hers was at the end of the hall and his opened near the start, just across from the bathroom, but between the two doors was a small closet. It was probably designed to hold extra clothes or sheets, but when she tossed him at it and ordered him to open the doors, he reached in then pulled the string of the hanging light bulb, he was greeted with the bare empty closet and three white walls that he's uncomfortably familiar with.

She shoves Peter into the closet, slamming the doors behind him. He doesn't dare fight her, he just stands there shaking. "I expect these walls to be covered by morning." Peter could here her securing the doors with a padlock. "And no dinner tonight."

Peter stayed quiet as he listened to her walk away, he back himself into one of the small corners. He barely had enough room to stand in there and could only take two steps from side to side. His hands shook as he brought them up to his face, he tried to calm his quick breathing and covered his mouth to stay as quiet as possible. Between the pain from his burn and the pain from his spidey sense being on such high alert for an extended time, he felt like an exposed nerve.

Taking a few breaths he reached down and grabbed a marker that sat in the seam between the wall and carpet. He took the cap off and dragged it up to the very top corner of the left hand wall, he started to wright.

**I am worthless.**

**I am nothing.**

**_I owe her my life._ **

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So that was a roller coaster to write, I felt bad for Peter. Anyways sorry if the chapter was shorter then the others but I felt it was best to end it where it did. Not sure when the next chapter is coming out since I'll be busy but it shouldn't be to long.


	4. Chapter 4

DUM-E rolled around the lab happily as he tested his new motor. Stark couldn't help but smile at the scene before slowly standing to cleaning up the few tools he used for the repair. He grabbed his cup of coffee before heading back over to the Mark 48, taking a drink in the process. Taking a seat at the tall stool next to the table he examined the suit deciding where to continue with the repairs.

<Boss, I have an update on Spider-Man>

"Shoot." Stark said automatically, most of his brain function was focused on the prototype suit. 

<He suffered from what I predict to be at least minor concussion, though due to his untested attributes I can't make a accurate diagnosis. When the Mark 15 arrived at his location he was unconscious but he woke up 18 minutes after I arrived>

"Did you tell him to get it checked out?" Stark started to rewire some of the components behind the panel he removed before getting his coffee.

<I advise he get medical attention but his stress levels spiked after I told him the time. My surface scans indicated an anxiety attack as he ran past the Mark 15>

Stark paused as he leaned back from the prototype. Stark could understand the kid being worried about getting home late, but an anxiety attack? Something in the back of his mind was telling him to see the interaction for himself, "Role the footage, Fri."

<Yes, Boss> The A.I said before projecting the recorded interaction over the prototype.

Stark leaned back in his chair as he crossed his arms. He watched the video closely.

_ "Mr. Stark, you didn't have to come all the way out here to help me..." _

The kid didn't seem to bother using subtle hand motions that the suit was capable of reading, so Tony watched the kid's hands as he read the motions. Peter probably wasn't aware that he knew ASL. He had learned it when designing the translator, because he definitely wasn't going to use another translator to make sure his design worked, especially since whatever he used would be inferior to what he was creating.

"Friday, can you pull up the facial readings from his suit." 

<On it, Boss>

A second screen was projected next to the footage, it showed a black and white rendering of Peter's face. 

Stark had added sensors in the suit's mask to help the translator put the proper emotion into the words, couldn't have the kid sounding like Siri while he was out being Spider-Man. Plus he was already very emotive, the kid was like a cartoon character, though Stark suspected he developed that attributed because of the fact he couldn't portray his emotion through voice tone.

Stark continued to watch and it wasn't till Peter asked the times that things seemed off. FRIDAY was right, the moment she gave him the time his heart rate rose on the monitor overlaying the footage and the kid viably tensed.

_ "I got to go." _

From the sensor readings on Peter's face, Stark could only see pure terror. He looked at the at the footage in bewilderment as it paused after Peter swing out of sight.

"Where did Peter go after this?" Stark asked, he rewound the footage so it played back the moment when dread washed over Peter's face after being told the time.

<The tracer indicates that he went straight home, though his suit was deactivated shortly after arriving>

Stark thought for a moment as he put his knuckles to his lips, his other hand tap the desk rhythmically. Surely Peter wasn't scared of going home, when he visited it seemed like a pretty nice environment especially with his kind, but unreasonably attractive, aunt. 

Maybe he went somewhere else after dropping off his suit.

"Friday, track Peter's phone." The thought escaped his lips before he could think of the privacy violation.

<His phone is at home, Boss> Tony's brow furrowed as his frown deepened.

Maybe the kid was just really serious about school, probably had a major project due tomorrow.

That must be it.

Though, something still didn't feel right with that.

* * *

 

_ "Can I sit up front today? Pleeeease?"  _

_ Uncle Ben let out a small laugh "Alright, but only today," he said as he opened the door to his police cruiser. _

_ Peter crawled in before the door was even opened all the way, he clicked his seat belt in place once he was settled. He swung his feet back and forth over the edge of the seat as he watched Ben close the door and walk around the cruiser to the driver's seat. The man had just got off patrol that day and was picking Peter up from school.  _

_ They pulled away from the curb as Ben started the drive to their apartment, Peter could tell Ben was taking the long way back. A smile stretched across his face as he glanced out the window, then started to examine the radio and different buttons of the cruiser. _

_ "What's this do?" Peter asked pointing at a switch. _

_ "That turns on the siren, and the one next to it turns on the flashing light" Ben said as he glanced down at Peter. _

_ "Can we turn them on?" Peter asked, "We can speed through the red lights!" _

_ Ben gave a faint smile. "Peter, just because you can do something doesn't mean you should." _

_ "What do you mean?" he asked tilting his head. _

_ Ben was quiet for a moment before he finally spoke. "Well, take being a police officer for example. If I wanted to, I could speed through the city with the lights and sirens on and probably get away with it." _

_ "So why don't you?" Peter asked. _

_ "Because I was given this power by people who trust me, and it's my job to use it responsibly," He let out a small sigh as they pulled to a stop in front of their apartment building. He turned to face Peter. "Well, what I'm trying to say is..." He paused for a moment, Peter sat there with his eyes fixed on his uncle Ben. "You are a smart kid, brilliant even. I can see so many great things in your future, but a lot of that stuff comes with power and your going to have be responsible enough to use it wisely. Help people when you can, show people kindness, that kind of stuff is rare these days, but that doesn't mean you should forget about them." Ben leaned over and ruffled Peter's hair, "But I don't think I have to worry about you, you're a good kid, and I know one day you'll grow up to be a great man." _

Peter slowly opened his eyes and was greeted with the sharp bright light of the bulb above him, he couldn't remember going to sleep though he doubted it was that long ago anyways. His joints ached as he moved from his cramped position in the closet, as he looked up he noted that the walls looked more black then white with all the righting. He couldn't say how many lines he wrote, his mind got to tired of counting after a thousand.

He noticed the marker was still clutched in his hand. He placed it back in it's spot between the carpet seam and wall before slowly standing up to stretch as much as he could in the small space. It took Peter only a moment to bring up the courage to test the door, to his relief it opened.

The moment he woke up he noticed his spidey sense, though it was low enough to indicate that May was still sleeping. She must have unlocked the door some time after he passed out.

Peter quickly made it to his room, he first checked his Spider-Man suit and felt a wave of relief as he spotted it still hidden with the pile of clothes. He looked around for his bag but groaned quietly when he realized it was still on a rooftop somewhere. He let out a heavy sigh as he walked out his room to get ready for school.

After getting out of the shower he pulled on clean clothes, but was careful not to irritate his now exposed wound. It had healed a considerable amount but was still tender and colored an angry red. Not wanting to wrap it or draw attention to his quick healing, he decided to put on an old Stark Expo hoodie over his shirt.

Once he was dressed he quietly dug through his closet trying to find an extra bag. Peter was mortified when the only thing he could find was an Iron Man backpack that he used during grade school. The bag had the iconic Iron Man faceplate covering the entire back side and the rest of thing was a bright hot rod red.

Glancing at the clock he quickly grabbed the Spider-Man suit and stuffed it in the bag. He did have the time to find anything else, if he didn't hurry he'd be late for school.

He rushed out of the apartment, glad to have his spidey sense calm down after he got to the streets. While on the train he wasn't a fan of the strange looks he was getting, though he was glad no one said anything, he doubted the same reactions would continue at school.

As he made it out of the train and down the sidewalk to the stairs of his school, he made sure not to walk near the brick planter so Flash didn't have a chance to trip him again, though that didn't stop the bully from spotting him.

"Nice bag, iron boy, did Tony Stark give that to you?" Flash laughed.

Peter just kept walking, he didn't want to deal with him today, he was to tired for it. He made it through the school doors as fast as he could before Flash could give a snide remark, but even after the doors closed behind him his enhanced hearing still picked it up.

"Told you guys he's just a lying fanboy, no way Stark would let that dork into his internship program for college freshmen." Flash scoffed.

Peter just sighed as he continued down the hallway, he was dead set on getting to his locker before to many students started to stare at the bag.

He'd mentioned his internship a few times when necessary but he could always tell that no one really believed him, not even his teacher when he mentioned it yesterday. Their eyes held doubt, but not Ned's he was glad he could always count on his friend. Speaking of which, Ned approached him from behind as Peter stuffed the bag in his locker.

"Dude, I'm still wrapping my head around yesterday." Ned said, obviously still processing.

'You didn't tell anyone right?' Peter signed after closing his locker.

"Of course not, I don't even know what I would say. How did you even get those powers?" He asked suddenly. A few students gave them weird looks Peter glanced at them skeptically before they continued on their way.

'If you want to ask questions use sign, I don't want others overhearing.' 

"Fine," Ned said before signing 'So how did you get them? How long have you had them?'

'Remember that field trip to Oscorp? I was bitten by a radioactive spider then'

'That long? Why didn't you tell me before? I could have been you're guy in the chair' Ned quickly signed.

'Look I didn't want to tell anyone and when Mr. Stark found out-'

"Tony Stark knows?" Ned said in a surprised but loud whispered. Peter quickly shushed him.

'Yes, ok? He found out then gave me a new suit.'

"Dude that is so awesome." Ned grinned 'are you like an Avenger now?'

Peter couldn't help but smile, it was nice to share this part of his life with Ned. He was now wishing he did it sooner. 'It is pretty awesome' He thought about the Avenger question 'And yes, basically'   

"Dude.." Excitement and wonder spread over his friend's face. Soon the bell rang and Peter looked up acknowledging it.

'Come on, we got to get to class,' Peter signed before leading the way.

The day continued without much incident. Ned kept asking him questions whenever they popped into his head, some of them were pretty weird and he was glad his friend had the sense to not ask them out loud. Taken out of context the questions would seem even weirder.

During gym Peter had to wrap his arm before changing into his gym clothes. The cloth touching his skin irritated it but he had to keep up appearances, he was glad to finally take it off after the class. Though, the class was more eventful then he'd like, Ned let it slip that Peter knew Spider-Man when he overheard Liz taking to her friend. Long story short he  _ and _ Spider-Man are expected to make an appearance at Liz's party this Friday. He'll cross that road when he gets there, for now he was glad to focus on the rest of the school day, but it wasn't easy considering the significant lack of sleep he received the night before.

When the final bell rang Peter was quick to say his goodbyes to Ned and MJ before heading off to the Avenger's tower. 

It wasn't till he reached for his ID did he realize he had a huge problem, it was in his missing backpack on a room somewhere in Queens. He quickly pulled out his phone. The receptionist was already irritated with him.

<I'm Peter Parker, high school intern Mr. Stark hired> He typed. He looked around the lobby for anyone he might recognize but they were all strangers.

"Sir, I'm going to have to ask you to leave." Peter watched the receptionist's eyes as she darted from his hoodie to his backpack.

<I swear I'm not lying, look up my name I'm in the system> Peter mentally face palmed at his wardrobe choice for the day. He probably looked like some over obsessed fanboy.

The woman picked up the phone slowly as she kept her eyes on Peter, as if he'd attack her if she took them away. "I'm going to need security," She said quietly.

Peter sighed with frustration, his day couldn't get worse.

* * *

 

"Run a full test on the suit, Friday. I think I've done it!" Stark said with a little excitement. It only took a moment for the A.I.

<Everything seems to be in working order, boss, shall I start working on the conversion for the nanobots?>

"No quite yet, I want to do some test runs with the suit before we completely integrate the design." He finished closing the last panel on the Mark 48. He leaned back to look over his masterpiece. It had been moved from the table and was now standing upright.

Stark stood up straight and his back ached after crouching on the ground for so long, now was a good time for a coffee break. He was already halfway to the coffee maker when FRIDAY spoke up.

<Boss, it seems Peter is having trouble in the lobby>

"Trouble?" Stark asked raising an eyebrow.

<He forgot his ID> FRIDAY pulled up the security cameras overlooking the lobby. Stark almost choked on his coffee as he tried to hold in a laugh.

"What the hell's that kid wearing?" He asked

<It seems to be a 2011 Iron man backpack marketed towards children>

Tony laughed again but this time no coffee threatened his airway, but his smile faded slightly as he remembered last night's strange behavior from Peter. "Why don't we go give the kid some help." He set his coffee down as he made his way out of the workshop, he made a quick pit stop to his floor to clean up, he was covered in grease.

* * *

 

Peter was suddenly being escorted out with two security guards holding both his arms.

His sensitive hearing caught the ding of an elevator in the distance, but he was a little too preoccupied to care, he should of, because the voice that followed snapped everyone in the room to attention. 

"Hold on you two, I know the kid." Stark said with his usual sly smile. It took everything he had not to laugh at the Iron Man backpack starring him in the face.

Turns out Peter's day could get worse.

The two men from security stopped and let Peter go. Peter turned around, at almost inhuman speed, to face Mr. Stark. His face went red with embarrassment and his thumbs hovered over the keyboard on his phone hesitant to say something. 

"Sorry sir, we thought he was just another desperate fan," said one of the men.

Stark walked over to them and waved away the apology as if to say "don't worry about it." The two men nodded then walked away, heading back to whatever room they were posted in before.

"Nice backpack kid," he said with a small chuckle.

<It was the only thing I could find this morning> Peter said still too embarrassed to look Mr. Stark in the eyes.

"I have to say, you have great taste." Stark said in a playfully sarcastic tone. He chuckled again as Peter's face only got more red, it was almost the same shade as the backpack. "Come on, I'll walk you up to R&D." He put his hand behind Peter's shoulder as he gently coaxed him to start walking with him towards the elevator.

<God, this is embarrassing. I should have put a paper bag over the back> Peter typed as they walked to the elevator. Though, Stark was able to read what the kid wrote before he pressed enter.

"It's not that bad. It'd be adorable if a 9 year old was wearing it, not such a good look for a high schooler," Stark teased. "Especially paired with that hoodie" 

<Don't dis the hoodie exclamation point. It's one of my favorites> Peter typed quickly, again he forgot about the flaw in the text to speech app until it was to late. He winced when it read the punctuation. If Mr. Stark noticed he didn't say anything.

Stark just looked down at the hoodie with a raised eyebrow and he actually read the year it came from. "The 2010 expo? Not exactly the best year, it was a pretty big disaster when Hammer's Great Value Iron Men started wrecking the place."

Peter typed something but paused before finally hitting the enter button. <I thought it was cool, I wore an Iron Man toy mask and blasters, even got your autograph>

"Jesus kid, that was you?" Stark said a little surprised.

Peter looked up at stark with wide eyes. <You remember me?> He typed without looking.

"Of course, some eight year old kid with a toy trying to take down a murder bot. Kinda hard to forget." Stark put his hand in his pockets, he couldn't help but remember that he almost wasn't there in time.

<I was nine actually>

"So even at nine you had that super hero complex, thank god you didn't have your powers. It would have been a nightmare to deal with Spider-Baby and the murder bots." 

Peter let out a small laugh, Stark couldn't help but glance at the kid out of the corner of his eye. He thought the kid was mute but he obviously used vocals in that laugh. The elevator was silent for a moment and Stark was just about to ask why Peter couldn't speak when the doors opened on the correct floor. He thought it was probably for the best, he and Peter weren't even close, hell, they weren't even friends. A conversation like that wasn't just something you casually mention, but Stark remembered that never stopped him in the past before.

Both stepped out and Peter looked back at Stark a little surprised.

"I want to see what kind of projects they have you working on down here, it would be a shame if your smarts went to waste."

Peter understood and nodded slowly, he motioned for Stark to follow and the billionaire did just that, even though he could have taken lead, this was his building after all.

Peter made his way down the aisle of work stations occupied by other employees, heads automatically started turning when they spotted Mr. Stark in the room. Peter felt a little uncomfortable since that meant more eyes potentially seeing his bag. He decided to take it off and hold it to his chest when he started approaching Dr. Henry's desk.

"Parker!" Said an angry voice, Peter froze quickly turning in it's direction. "What did I tell you about using- Mr. Stark." 

Dr. Eddy froze in his tracks when he spotted Tony Stark. His tone dropped and went down a few decibels when addressing the billionaire. Peter subconsciously put Stark between himself and Dr. Eddies.

"Did Mr. Parker do something wrong?" Stark asked raising an eyebrow as he looked back at Peter, who just replied with a confused expression.

"Oh, well, um," Dr. Eddy had to clear his throat to regain his train of thought. "Mr. Parker was using components that he did not have clearance to," Dr. Eddy said calmly. "This is not even the first time I caught him doing that."

Peter suddenly dropped his bag and it hit the ground with a faint thump, his phone was already in hand.

<Dr. Henry game me clearance, her initials are on the paperwork>

The faintest smirk flashed across Dr. Eddy's face. "When I reviewed the paperwork I only found your initials, I doubt Dr. Henry even touched the paperwork."

"Well, where's Dr. Henry. Surly she can shed light on this," Stark said.

"She's on vacation, won't be back for another month." Dr. Eddy had an unpleasant smile on his face.

Stark looked back at Peter. The kid's face when pale as he looked frantically between Stark and Dr. Henry.

"Why don't you run along Dr. Eddy, me and Mr. Parker are going to have a talk." Stark replied still looking at Peter.

Peter glanced over at Dr. Henry and the man's smirk turned into a smug grin before walking back to his workstation.

Peter stood there frozen for a moment, he felt embarrassed and confused but he didn't think Mr. Stark would take it well.

"God, I hate that guy." Stark mumbled, Peter was a bit taken back. "Why don't you show me the thing you've been working on."

<You're not mad?> Peter finally managed to type.

"Course not, did you see that guy's face? He obviously did something to the papers. Don't know what you did to piss him off but he really wants you fired."

<Yeah, he's been trying since my second day.>

<I didn't do anything I swear> Peter then typed quickly. He watched as Stark made his way over to Dr. Henry's workstation and pulled out schematics looking through them.

"You make these?" Stark asked holding up the blueprints for the prototype Peter and Dr. Henry were working on yesterday.

Peter just nodded.

"Webware, hope that has nothing to do with your hobby," he looked at Peter skeptical.

Peter quickly shook his head before typing. <It's for world wide web>

"You had me worried there kid, was thinking you might not be as smart as I thought you were," Stark joked looking back down at the blueprints. "These aren't to bad actually..." He trailed off as he started looking through the rest of Peter's blueprints. Peter tapped his phone with a finger nervously in the silence, he felt like he was being held under a microscope.

Stark finally looked up at him again. "Grab all your stuff kid, I want you working in my workshop today."

Peter's eyes got bigger then what should be humanly possible, he fumbled to type his words <Are you serious?>

"Hurry up, before I change my mind." Stark said as he stepped away from the workbench, leaving the blueprints laid out.

Peter scrambled to grab a nearby box and gathered everything, from blueprints to unfinished prototypes, whatever wasn't Dr. Henry's went into the box. Though that didn't amount to too much, still Mr. Stark had a decent head start to the elevator.

Peter quickly followed after him but Dr. Eddy approached Peter with the same smug grin from before.

"Sorry to see you go Parker." The man obviously didn't mean it.

"Don't worry Dr. Eddy, he's not going to far." Mr. Stark called from the end of the room. "Just a few dozen floors up to my workshop."

Dr. Eddy's smug grin was immediately replaced with pure blindsided confusion. Peter grinned as he pushed passed the shocked man and towards the elevators with Mr. Stark.

With moment's like these it was easy for Peter to forget about last night.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Finally some Tony and Peter interaction! Took long enough but they're fun to wright... though I always struggle a little with Tony sometimes. Hope it wasn't to ooc.


	5. Chapter 5

They hadn't taken the same elevator they took going up, instead Mr. Stark lead Peter down a few halls past the main elevators and into what Peter could only assume was his private elevator. It was smaller than the others but still roomy. There were mirrors lining the walls and ceiling giving the illusion that it was larger than it was. Another thing Peter noticed was it didn't have a keypad to request floors, Peter was about to draw attention to to it but his question was answered as Stark spoke.

"Take us to the workshop level, Friday" 

<Yes, Boss>

Peter couldn't help but look up at the ceiling since that seemed to be where the voice came from, there was a strip of pulsing light that ran along the wall near the ceiling. Peter immediately recognized the voice as FRIDAY's. He wanted to ask questions but his hands were to busy supporting the box in his arms to have a chance to grab his phone.

Stark just looked over at him with an amused look in his eye, he could tell the kid wanted to say something. "Friday, this is Mr. Parker. I believe you two have already met."

<It is nice to be formally introduced, Mr. Parker> The A.I replied.

Peter just nodded up at the ceiling in greeting.

Stark's private elevator was a lot faster than the employee one, despite going up at least twenty floors it barely took a minute for the doors to open on the correct level. Stark was the first to step out and Peter quickly followed, he tried not to get to awestruck by Tony Stark's workshop but it was nearly impossible when you've been looking up to the man for most of your life, even before Iron Man he was a brilliant inventor. Peter would admit that some of Mr. Stark's life choices before Iron Man weren't exactly characteristics of proper role models but at the time Peter was to young to comprehend that.

Peter was on autopilot as he followed Stark through the shop, he was to busy gawking at what he assumed was a new Iron Man prototype, that he didn't notice Stark stop.  Peter bumped into the man almost doping everything, luckily Stark had turned quick enough to steady the box.

"You alright there, champ?" He asked with an amused grin "Why don't you set that box.." Trailed off as he looked around, he took a large step towards a workbench that was smaller than the rest and had significantly less tools scattered about the top. Come to think of it Stark's workshop was kind of a mess, but Peter only loved it more because of that. 

Peter was snapped into focus by a clatter of tools into a metal bin as Stark swept off the tools from the workbench into a metal container. "Just set it here, you've been quiet for to long." He took the bin over to a bot who was currently stacking scrap into small piles. "Make your new motor useful, Dummy. Put these in their place will ya." 

The robot beeped in excitement at the new task as it grabbed the bin and wheeled to the other side of the room. "Probably shouldn't have done that," Stark mumbled to himself.

Before turning back to face Peter Stark had put an earpiece in so FRIDAY could talk to him without Peter noticing. "Keep me updated on his heart rate and panic levels,” He whispered before glancing at Peter to make sure the kid was to awestruck to notice.

<On it, Boss> FRIDAY said in his ear.

Peter slowly put the box onto the workbench but still looked around with wide eyes as Stark walked back over. 

"I mean not that I don't like hearing myself speak, but you seem like you have a lot to say." Stark continued, he now stood in front of Peter as the kid pulled out his phone. His thumbs just hovered over the keyboard as his eyes still wandered around the room. "What, cat got your thumbs?" Stark joked.

"Wow.." Peter said in amazement, his voice was very soft but still obviously there. It seems that neither of them were expecting that reaction.

"So you can talk," Stark said, carefully watching Peter. The kid had froze and viably tensed up.

<Boss, using last nights interaction as a baseline, Peter's stress levels are at 87%>

Knowing he needed to defuse the situation Stark just shrugged as if it didn't matter, but the fact that the kid refused to use his voice still peaked his interest. "So Mr. Parker, tell me about this Webwear." He casually walked over to the workbench and pulled out the blueprints from before. He dug a little deeper and found what he assumed was a work in progress of a prototype. It was a clunky device with a rectangular interface, the blueprints suggested that the thing was to be worn on the wrist, but with its current size it would hardly be comfortable.

Peter swallowed and eventually started typing before pressing enter. <It's designed to grant internet access and unlimited data to any device connected to it>

<Stress levels 80%, boss>

"I like the idea, but the size is not exactly comfortable." Stark strapped the thing onto his wrist and pretended to use it, though after shaking the thing on his wrist, "Feels like dead weight."

<The final design will be smaller, I have to get it to work first before I can start shrinking it> Peter slowly approached the table. It reminded Stark of a wild animal ready to bolt at any wrong move, the sight only made him more suspicious. 

<65%>

"So what else have you been working on?" He asked as he dug through the box, he pulled out a set of goggles and looked through them.

<Those don't have a name yet, but I wanted to make a less clunky and wireless VR system. This one focuses on augmented reality>

"Is that tetris?" Stark said as he moved his head around, looking at the simulated image from different angles. He then pulled the goggles off, an amused smile spread across his lips.

<I needed a simple game to test the concept, I always thought tetris was fun> Peter gave an innocent shrug.

<30%>

"These ones look promising, why not perfect this before diving into that Webware. You'll need more experience before tackling the problems I can already see developing with that." He glanced at the Webware prototype then handed the goggles to Peter, who took them with a small nod, he did look slightly defeated as he glanced at the Webware. "Hey, don't get me wrong kid, it's a great idea, but you need to get a few projects under your belt before tackling it." Peter cheered up at Tony's words.

<Thanks, I'll get started on it> Peter said with a small smile but fidgeted with the goggle in his hands. 

Stark, feeling an end to the conversation, clapped his hand together as he started to back away slowly. "Right, well, I'll leave you to it. That desk is yours for the day," he pointed to the workbench Peter's box was on. '"So do what you will with it, ask FRIDAY if you need anything, I'll be over there working my stuff." With that Stark turned around and headed over to the Mark 48 at the other end of the large workshop.

Peter watched him for a moment before turning to the desk Mr. Stark was letting him use. He couldn't help but grin at the awesome predicament, he was in the workshop of Tony Stark! This was hardly where he thought this day would lead but he's glad it did.

Still with a grin he glanced around for a chair and pulled it up to the table, he didn't want to test the boundaries of what he could and couldn't do so he decided to play it safe and perfect the schematics of the AR goggles. He pulled the blueprint out of the box after setting it on the floor and grabbed a pencil, before he rolled the blueprints out over the table and started working on it. He didn't move much from his spot till Stark started blasting music from his side of the room, Peter's only reaction was to block out the noise by putting in his headphones and turning on his own music. His current go to playlist was the soundtrack of Interstellar.   

Hours passed and Peter almost lost track of time if it weren't for a text message he received from May.

**5:36PM**

**Pick up paint after the internship**

Peter just stared at the message for a moment, his breath shook as he started typing a response.

**Yes ma'am**

* * *

 

Stark had completely lost his sense of time when working on the gauntlet of the Mark 48, at this point everything worked perfectly, he was just fine tuning what he could. After getting to a stopping point he leaned back in his chair. "Alright Peter, looks like-" He turned to face Peter's direction but the kid was nowhere in sight.

<Mr.Parker left after receiving a text message>

"How long ago was that?" Tony asked as he took up and set the gauntlet on a table before walking over to Peter's workbench. The kid had placed all of his stuff back into his box and placed it neatly under the table out of the way, he even tidied a few remaining tools left on the tabletop leaving the place a hell of a lot better then what it was before.

<About an hour and 30 minutes ago>

"And he didn't even say goodbye," he pretended to be offended.

<He tried, but you seem preoccupied in your work, so he told me to tell you he enjoyed working in your workshop today and to have someone take his stuff back to Dr. Henry's desk in research and development. Would you like me to send a request for someone to fetch the box?>

Tony thought for a moment then took the box from under the workbench and placed it on the tabletop. "No need, when Parker gets in tomorrow have him come up to the workshop."

<Are you sure?>

"'Course, why wouldn't I be?" He walked back across the workshop then gabbed the Mark 48 gauntlet putting it over his hand.

<You have never invited someone to your workshop before, let alone allow them to return>

"Yeah well, kid's got to have someone looking out for him while Dr Henry is on vacation."

<That was a very generous offer you gave to Dr. Henry, Boss>

Stark lifted his hand up aiming it at the closest wall. "I'll admit the kid missing his ID kicked my plans a few days ahead," he lowered the gauntlet before examining it. "And I hadn't realized Eddy was trying to get the kid fired," he mumbled, the thought of sticking Dr. Eddy in a dark office space in the back end of nowhere was looking very tempting.

<Would you like me to rush the delivery on the old computer parts>

"Would you, dear?"

* * *

 

Peter swung up onto a building and let go of his webbing at the height of the ark only to land gracefully onto the corner ledge of the roof as he immediately scanned the area. Even with the added weight of two quarts of paint in his backpack his form was flawless. It wasn't difficult to retrace his steps back to the ally that he encountered the weapons dealer, though finding his backpack might be a different story, he was in such a rush when hiding it he'd have to backtrack to find it.

He took the Iron Man backpack off, which he had covered in webbing to hide it's design, because it was clearly no coincidence if Spider-Man and Peter Parker wore the same cringy backpack the same day. He placed it at the corner of the rooftop sticking it just under the ledge with his webbing securing it in place. Peter jumped off the roof shooting a strand of web that let him safely swing into the alleyway across the street.

He looked around the ally trying to reorient himself, it wasn't long till he backtracked the events that lead him three buildings away to the top of a water tower. At the time he had the sense to use webbing to pin the bag to its side but since then the substance dissolved, causing the bag to have dropped a few stories getting caught on a fire escape. He checked his bag's contents finding his clothes from yesterday, along with his SI name tag and homework, he was glad the work wasn't due till Friday otherwise he'd fail a major project in English.

Peter pulled the bag on his back tightening the straps as he made his way back to the ally, something caught his eye causing him to follow through with his swing till it reached its high only to swing back down letting go at the bottom of the ark to drop into the ally way. Buried under a pile of trash that Peter had fallen into during the fight was a faint purple glow. His curiosity got the better of him causing to dig it out only to find a broken piece of a hybrid weapon. The thing was pretty cool and the glow of the device was mesmerizing, he had to show Ned tomorrow.

Stuffing the weapon piece into his backpack, Peter swung back up to the roof ledge that the Iron man bag clung to, he took both bags to a more secluded ally way before quickly changing into his normal clothes. While walking home, he carried one bag on his back while holding the Iron Man bag by the built in handle on the top. Unfortunately, he had to take the webbing off but still kept the face of the bag facing his legs in some attempts to hid it. 

After walking up the stairs to his apartment, Peter was relieved to know that May wasn't home, due to the lack of his spidey sense reacting it was a good tell. He still had to work quickly once he entered the apartment.

He put his bags in his room and grab the plastic tarp that was under his bed then lay it in the closet after he flung the doors open, he tried to avoid looking at the walls until he absolutely had to. The paint was next, he let his body go through the motions of getting the cans and grabbing the paintbrushes, having done this process countless time before only more evident by the layers of paint on the walls of the closet.

He did the paint job in silence, the only sound filling the apartment where the street noises from outside. He didn't want to taint any of his music with the memory. It took only an hour, but it felt longer when he finally packed everything up. He stuffed the plastic tarp under his bed along with extra paint, it took only a quart and a half to paint the three walls. At least next time he'll only have to get one can instead of two. 

Once everything was packed away he let out a sigh of relief before putting his earbuds in and turning on his music. He started the chores he was tasked to do yesterday, which was do the dishes, clean the kitchen, and tidy up the rest of the house. Usually he cycled which rooms he cleaned but he found a note on the counter instructing him to deep clean the entire apartment, instead of the usual light tidying he did for the rooms he didn't clean that day.

Peter was glad he cut his patrol short, otherwise he wouldn't have had the time to finished.

By the time Peter was done, he was leaning against the edge of the bathtub with a scrubber in hand and his head leaning back against the cold porcine of its edge. He was completely exhausted, he tried closing his eyes for a short rest but was interrupted by his spidey sense gently buzzing in the back of his mind signaling May was home. Sure enough, within the next moment he heard the front door open as his aunt entered the apartment. The faint rustle of plastic bags was brought to his attention, meaning she brought grocery home. He quickly pulled off his rubber gloves and shoved them, along with the rest of the cleaning supplies, back under the bathroom sink before rushing to Aunt May taking all the bags out of her hands.

"Bout time you got here. What, you expect me to do all the heavy lifting around here?" Her tone was as condescending as usual.

Peter slumped his shoulders making himself look as small as possible and he avoided her eye contact, after yesterday he didn't want to provoke her.

She sauntered into the kitchen and Peter followed. He set the bags on the counter before putting the items in their proper places in the kitchen, he made sure to stay out of her way as she grabbed a bottle and a wine glass from the cabinets above. Once she was out of the kitchen she planted herself on the couch in the small connecting living room, hardly paying any attention to Peter. 

From the looks of the groceries she wanted porkchops so Peter immediately started preparing for meal. 

May was already half way through her third glass of wine by the time Peter finished. He prepared her plate before walking into the living room setting it gently on the side table with a knife and fork then quickly retreated back into the kitchen to serve himself. He took his seat at the small table in the kitchen, since he wasn't allowed to eat anywhere else in the house. He tried not to think about the fact he practically said something earlier that day, he could feel his heart pounding at the thought and he nervously tapped the back of his phone which rested next to his now empty plate. He didn't think Mr. Stark would tell aunt May, would he?

He tried to push the thought out of his head, he had finished his meal quickly but didn't move from the table. He was waiting for May to finish so he could do the dishes before going to bed, he didn't think it would hurt to rest his eyes in the meantime.

He hadn't anticipated how tired he was until he dozed off, only to be jerked awake as his head slammed against the table after someone jerked his arm out from under the support of his head. His spidey sense was buzzing more prominently than before, quickly looking up May looked down at him with an annoyed expression. She tossed her plate and silverware on the table next to him causing a large clatter that irritated his enhanced hearing.

"You worthless little brat, I never said it was bedtime yet," she was practically snarling. 

Peter quickly stood up holding his head low. 'Sorry' he managed to sign. His head was groggy and the bright lights of the kitchen were irritating. Although he loved most of the abilities given to him by the spider bite, he hated how sensitive his senses were at times. 

"Get the dishes done, then meet me in the living room, it's movie night." She gave him a small smile.

Peter hated movie night.

The noise from the turned up television along with the scraping of the dishes as he cleaned only added to his already growing headache. When he finished, he walked into the living room, making sure to go behind the couch so not to obscure May's view of the TV as he sat on the opposite end. He couldn't even force himself to relax on the couch, not with her so close and his spidey sense constantly giving off a warning, so instead he sat with his back straight and his hands clutching his phone in his lap.

"Let watch your favorite." She almost sounded kind, like she was giving him a treat for good behavior. Peter knew better.

The familiar intro of Meet the Robinsons filled the speakers of the TV. It used to be his favorite, he'd watch it with uncle Ben a lot, but since then she ruined it for him. He suspects she thinks of it as a game, anytime she finds him taking interest in something she finds a way to twist herself into it.

Worst part of the evening was he couldn't look away from the TV, he knew she was watching him out of the corner of her eye so he didn't dare.

"See that Peter? No one wants a failure, a pathetic boy who can't even get one machine to work properly." She commented at the scene where Lewis, the main character, was in an interview with potential new parents which ended in the couple leaving after the husband as an allergic reaction to peanut butter launched from Lewis' malfunctioning machine.

Peter couldn't help but look back on his own creations. His web shooters came to mind, they were hardly perfect when he first created them and only worked half the time, even after countless hours of alterations they were never perfect. It wasn't until Tony Stark had given him the new suit that he realized how pathetic his attempt was, the genius probably didn't even have to think when creating the simple gadget. He didn't deserve working in the man's workshop that afternoon.

The movie went on as May continued to make similar commentary. 

"You don't deserve a happy ending Peter." May said as the the credits rolled, Peter's hands were shaking as he clenched his phone, he could feel another crack form in the device before quickly releasing his grip. May looked satisfied, "You can leave now, go to bed" She waved him off as she changed the TV to her usual evening sitcom.

Peter slowly got up, he was not only physically exhausted but now he was emotional strained.

As he slowly got ready for bed he could feel a sting at the corners of his eyes, a few tears slipped as some of her words rattled around in his head.

_ Worthless. Unloved. Pathetic. _

_ Peter Parker doesn't deserve happy endings. _

She was probably right.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I don't know about you but the Interstellar soundtrack speaks to my soul. That movie is amazing.
> 
> But yeah... Not the happiest ending for a chapter but it was still fun to wright... though I don't think Peter was enjoying any of it. Poor kid, I wish I could hug him.  
> Anyways I'm so glad there's a lot of you interested in the story! It's my first story that I've ever actually posted since most my stuff was cringy one shots from Jr high (witch were promptly burned after rediscovering them) and everything else I was to self conscious about my righting to do anything with. English is not my best subject but that's never stopped me from having ideas for stories, most of them stay in my head but this one was very persistent on wanting to get out. So, ta da! I'm stepping out of my comfort zone. Was it worth it? Not sure yet but it's looking like a yes.
> 
> Movie count: 22


	6. Chapter 6

Peter was too exhausted to dream last time, it felt like a godsend (or was it god's send? With proof of Norse gods Peter tried not to think too much of the terminology). He always felt more rested when there weren't dreams crowding his brain at night.

As Peter slowly swings his legs out of bed, his foot hit against a box that made an unfamiliar rattle. Still dazed from sleep he looked down while rubbing one eye. The box contained all the shattered pieces of Ned's Lego death star, he needed to remember to rebuild it, but that was a problem for another time. Right now he needed to get ready before-

Peter's eyes widened as his spider sense kicked up a level indicating that Aunt May woke up. He cursed quietly in his head as he quickly got up, the chances of him avoiding her this morning were close to none, especially considering the fact that he hadn't managed to get in the shower yet. He gathered clothes from his dresser and made it across the hall to the bathroom only moments before May opened her door. He thought about locking the door but realized it would only cause more problems if she found out, not that he needed to, she hardly acknowledged him in the mornings before she's had her coffee.

After his shower and getting dressed, Peter watched himself in the bathroom mirror as he dried his hair with a towel. As he looked himself over he was glad to note that his decent night's rest greatly improved the bags under his eyes, he almost looked healthy, except when he reached over to scratch his side he was reminded of his slightly protruding ribs. Normally May fed him enough, if not the bare minimum to look healthy and cared for, but since he developed his abilities it didn't take him long to come to the conclusion that his enhanced metabolism wasn't doing him any favors and it wasn't like he had the option to spend what little allowance he was given on extra food, he had to use it on chemicals for his web fluid and needed school supplies.

Walking out of the bathroom and back into his bedroom, Peter could hear the clanks of silverware against dishes coming from the kitchen, May was probably making breakfast. His suspicion was confirmed when he stepped out of his room again with his bag and shoes on, the smell of food filled the air. He double checked to make sure he had his SI ID. He contemplated sneaking out the window but decided against it, May would probably retaliate by padlocking it shut if she found out.

He clutched the strap of his bag as he moved forward. He kept his head down as he quickly walked to the door hoping that maybe she wouldn't notice, of course he was wrong.

"Peter." May called, her voice was almost sweet, as if she was happy to see him that morning.

He stopped in his track as he looked over at her, he was within plain view of the kitchen so there was no chance of escaping her gaze.

"Sit, I've got eggs for you." She set a plate of scrambled eggs down at the small table. Peter only nodded in response as he walked into the kitchen setting his bag by the chair before sitting down, he took the fork by the plate and started eating. May sat in the chair across from him and watched him for a uncomfortable moment before finally speaking.

"So, how's the internship?" She asked innocently. Peter took one more bite before setting his fork down then looking up at here, he was immediately suspicious of her actions the moment she set the eggs down, so Peter wasn't surprised to find out it was an invite for an interrogation.

'Mr. Stark invited me into his workshop, he said he liked some of my designs' he signed. He had to pretend not to notice the sudden spike in his Spider sense as it sent sharp prickles down his spine.

_Imminent danger._

"Only some of them?" She asked, her smile faltering with a faint twitch.

Peter swallowed, 'he especial liked one that I already have a working prototype for.' Peter glanced down at May's relaxed hand, there was a faint glint of silver hidden under her fingers. He had to force himself not to think of what it was.

"Oh? Do all of the prototypes you make work?"

Forcing himself to remain calm, he shook his head.

She let out a disapproving breath, "Right, well, at least your not completely useless."

Peter was about to pick up the fork again but May reached over sliding the plate away from him. He stopped mid motion then decided to put his hands in his lap.

"What is this prototype he said he liked?" She started eating the eggs.

'AR goggles, it's a type of video games system'

She only nodded in response before saying, "Next time you see Mr. Stark, tell him I want to have a talk with him."

'Yes ma'am' He replied, she then waved him off and he quickly grabbed his bag before heading out the door. He tried to keep a calm walk but once he closed the door he bolted for the stairwell the busted out the emergency exit on the ground floor. He was breathing heavily but not because of the exerted energy.

He hadn't realized he was gripping his phone until he looked at his shaking hands, he cursed at himself as he discovered a large crack running clear across the screen. He took in a few breaths as he leaned against the buildings brick wall.

She wasn't completely disappointed, that was good, but how was he going to get Mr. Stark to meet with her? He doubted Happy would send on the message and he had no other way of contacting him. It wasn't like he spent every day in the billionaire's workshop.

He shook his head as he pushed off the wall and started walking out of the alleyway, he needed to get away from the apartment building, his spider sense was still sending sharp signals. It made him feel uneasy like an exposed nerve.

Was she watching him?

He forced himself not to look, if she was then he wasn't supposed to know.

The moment he turned a corner his suspicion was confirmed when his spider sense completely died down. He was still on edge and didn't bother putting headphones in on the walk to school. He stayed focused on his spider sense taking some comfort in it's absence.

* * *

 

School went on like usual. Flash was a dick, Ned was fun to talk to, and Liz wore a new top that made her already pretty eyes stand out more. MJ said his staring was creepy which caused him to turn a subtle shade of red. During shop class he and Ned managed to take the hybrid weapon apart, they now the proud owners of a purple glowy thingy. They both were geeking out over it, Ned more so since he wasn't as used to the usual weird Peter's life had become. He was going to tell Ned that he got to spend yesterday in Mr. Stark's lab but his friend was already freaking out over everything else Peter didn't want to give him a brain aneurysm.

School was over and Peter took his route to Manhattan, it wasn't till he got to the tower that things started diverting from his usual scheduled.

There was a new woman at the reseption desk, this wasn't anything odd since he saw many different faces at the desk throughout his visits. There were a few that he recognized every so often so he just assumed they cycled through shifts.

When he walked up to the desk with his ID already out, he slid the small plastic rectangle over the tall counter so the woman could look at it. She scanned the barcode on the back but made an odd face as she looked at the computer screen.

Peter got a little nervous, he hoped there wasn't another incident like yesterday, the odds of Mr. Stark helping him two days in a row were slim to none. He doubted the man was even in the building. Peter quickly started typing on his phone.

<Is everything alright?> He held his phone on the counter so she could hear it.

She looked up taking a quick glance at the phone before looking at Peter.

"Yes, everything's fine." She looked back to the screen as her eyes darted across it reading something. "I am to inform you to take the left elevator." She pointed to the opposite direction of the main elevators down a hall Peter remembered exiting from when he came down from Mr. Stark's workshop.

His eyes went wide at the realization, he almost forgot to give her a nod of thanks as she handed back his ID.

Stuffing his ID in his pocket Peter shifted his backpack before making his way down the hall and into the private elevator.

<Good afternoon Mr. Parker> FRIDAY greeted him when the elevator doors closed.

<Hi Friday. I'm going to Mr. Stark's lab right?> Peter asked.

<That is correct. I would also like to inform you that you do not need to use your phone for communication, I am able to read you hand motion using a similar program that's incorporated into the Spider-Man suit>

Peter just nodded assuming the AI could see him, he felt the elevator jolt to life as it quickly picked up speed only to slow down again as it approached the proper floor. As the doors slowly opened his ears were assaulted with music blasting from hidden speakers around the room, he quickly covered his ears trying to muffle the music. He immediately recognized the song, Enter Sandman by Metallica. He didn't have anything against the song but his enhanced hearing wasn't a fan of the sharp shrill of the electric guitar strums.

The music was only lowered slightly as FRIDAY spoke. Peter kept his hands on his ears, he was amazed that Mr. Stark didn't have hearing loss from the volume of his music, but he was probably overestimating the volume of the music since Mr. Stark didn't have his sensitive hearing.

<Boss, Mr. Parker has arrived>

Peter spotted Mr. Stark in the middle of the room leaving over one of the workbenches, he couldn't tell what the engineer was working on. Whatever it was he was almost to lost in thought to notice FRIDAY.

Stark immediately shot his head up looking over in the elevators direction after the AI repeated what she said before. "Peter, glad to see you here again."

Peter managed a smile then gave a small wave, but was in that moment that the song produced a sharp clash from symbols causing the teen to winced.

Stark immediately connected the dots. "Friday cut the beats," the room went to a sudden silence.

Peter let out a breath of relief as he lowered his hands. <Thanks> His phone said as he gave a sheepish look, he felt bad for interrupting Mr. Stark's music.

"Should have remembered you had enhanced senses. Sorry about that, kid." Stark started walking over to Peter.

Peter just shrugged then typed quickly <It's really not a problem, sir. You can keep your music on, I don't mind>

Stark just gave a shrug in response then turned waving his hand for Peter to follow. "If you say so, kid. Friday, music back but volume at 20%. Play Fade to Black, I'm still in the Metallica mood." Music returned to the room but at a much lower volume and the song that played had a more gentle tone.

Peter was glad that the room wasn't completely silent and appreciated Mr. Stark's efforts. He followed the man quietly before finally typing something into his phone.

<Sir, I don't mean to be rude or anything, but why am I here?> Peter asked, he hesitated on pressing enter.

Stark approached the workbench that Peter used yesterday and Peter was surprised to see that his stuff was back on top of the table top, a few of his blueprints already lay out.

"Well, I thought you might want to work up here since Dr. Henry is on vacation. Eddy really has it out for you, I doubt he'd let you work on anything useful." The older man said casually as he leaned against the table. "But just warning you now, you won't be here every day. As much as I want to spend every afternoon in the workshop, Pepper likes to keep me out with SI meetings."

<Really?> Despite the lack of emotion in the robotic voice, Peter's face expressed enough of his excitement for Stark to get a solid idea of what the kid was feeling.

"Well yeah, why not." Stark brushed off the desk and made it sound like it wasn't a big deal, he pretended to scratch his jaw while he activated the earpiece.

<Stress levels at 30% boss> Friday said into the earpiece. Stark had adjusted the volume of the earpiece to be as low as possible so Peter wouldn't have a chance of hearing it. With the added back ground music the chances of Peter's ears picking it were very slim. Though, Stark couldn't help but note that Peter's stress levels didn't go below 30%, maybe it was a teen thing, but something in the back of his head wasn't convinced by the answer.

"So, kid. How's the friendly neighborhood Spider-Man doing?" Could the kid's anxiety be Spider-Man related? Stark didn't really think so but he had to segway into the questioning somehow, plus he always read the text Peter sent Happy so he had a decent idea of what was going on.

Peter slid his bag off his shoulder letting it land next to the workbench before pulling up his phone and replying. <It's good, I'm doing what you said, sticking to the small stuff>

<30%>

Stark could tell the kid had to say more on the subject but it didn't trigger anxiety, so moving on. "What about school, your hero work isn't causing your grades to fall is it?" Stark walked over to a nearby table and picked up a screwdriver that lay scattered with a few other tools. He twirled the thing in his hand.

Peter just shook his head <No, I still got straight As> he paused before typing again. <Except for English, it's never been my favorite. It's a high B right now but I have to get it up before report cards>

<32%>

Again it was another question he already knew the answer to, it wasn't exactly difficult to hack into the schools computers to occasionally check Peter's grades. At least this question had some reaction to it. "Is your Aunt May a stickler for grades?" Stark asked in a joking tone.

<68%>

This kid must have an amazing poker face despite usually being so emotive. With a stress jump like that he expected the kid to physically flinch, but to Stark's surprise the kid only gave a small shrug before typing. <No, not really, I just like making her proud with straight As>

<70%>

Stark turned to face the workbench and started gathering up the other tools on the table. "Nothing wrong with that, keep up the good work, kid." He then quickly turned around and caught a glimpse of what he thought might be mild panic in the kids face, but Peter regained his composure quickly replacing it with a smile.

<I will> Peter responded.

Thinking that was probably enough interrogating for the poor kid, Stark turned heading over to the other side of the workshop depositing the tools he brought over onto a nearby table. He replayed the conversation in his head, at first he didn't want to believe that his Aunt was what triggered his stress to spike but...

Stark glanced back at Peter who was now sitting at the workbench with his homework out, he caught a glance at the English text book cover as Peter opened it. It could have been a trick of the light but he could have sworn there was a slight tremor in Peter's hand, this caused Stark to subconsciously pull up his left hand as he gripped his wrist with his right. A nervous tick he developed from injuring it so much in desperate battles. When he realized what he was doing his mind flashed back to its most recent injury caused by Captain America. He wasn't ready to open those wounds yet so he shook his head trying to physically clear the thought, he needed to focus on Peter now.

Because unless the kid has an unhealthy anxiety for perfect grades, then there's clearly something not right with the seemingly good nature Aunt May.

And Tony Stark was going to get to the bottom of it.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> The chapter's kinda short but it seemed like a good place to end it. Poor Peter gets interrogated twice in one day but at least Tony means well and he's finally suspicious. So yay! Plot development!


	7. Chapter 7

A few hours had passed since Peter and Mr. Stark talked, Peter was kinda glad the man reminded him of the B he needed to bring up. He had been working on the extra credit he had to painstakingly convince the teacher he needed, she kept telling him his grade was already one of the best in her class but he wasn't going to take no for an answer, he needed to get it up to an A within the next two weeks.

He looked over the three writing assignment for the eighth time reading through every word carefully, making sure all the spelling was correct and the punctuation was where it needed to be. The past seven times he checked he found mistakes, they were minor but still, he couldn't afford them. This time everything seemed to be in place but he had to check one more time just to make sure.

Finally satisfied with his writing he leaned back in his chair letting out a long sigh as he closed his textbook keeping the pages of his work nestled within it. He'd type them up tomorrow during lunch in the library.

Glancing over at Mr. Stark, who was currently leaned over the same workbench as before. The man still had music playing but this time Peter couldn't recognize the song, it was definitely classic rock. He felt guilty for making the billionaire turn down his music, Peter even felt a little guilty for working on homework instead of the prototype Mr. Stark was encouraging him to work on. Peter tapped his pencil for a moment before he started packing his things up, he even put the blueprints back in the box and put it back under the table to keep it out of the way.

It was probably best he left a little early, he'd start patrols early and wouldn't be at risk of wasting Mr. Stark's workshop space.

Peter stepped away from the workbench then glanced back over at Mr. Stark. May still wanted to talk with him, but he didn't want the man anywhere near Aunt May. What if she managed to turn him against Peter just like everyone else. Despite how horrible she acted towards Peter she had a strange charm she could turn on when dealing with other people. He remembered once when he was nine he almost told his teacher the truth about everything, the man was already suspicious of something and when he arranged a meeting with May to confront her about it, but she somehow flipped everything around.

_ "I can't believe Peter would suggest something like that" She looked genuinely hurt. "I'm sorry sir he's just troubled, ever since... he watched his uncle die" She choked up at the recollection and tears welled in her eyes. _

_ "I'm so sorry Ms. Parker. I hadn't realized... how did his uncle pass?" the teacher asked cautiously. _

_ "There was a fire... In our old apartment" She sniffed then burst into tears "I'm so sorry, just the thought of Peter watching Ben-..." She hunched over crying and the teacher started comforting her. _

The next week was hell at school and home.

Peter looked towards the elevator doors then at Mr. Stark. He could just not mention anything, but if May found out he was working in Mr. Stark's lab it wouldn't be good if she realized Peter never mentioned her wanting to meet up. Peter could feel his chest tighten at the conflict of the decision, he somehow found himself walking towards Mr. Stark anyways. 

Peter hesitated at first but once he was close enough he reached out to Mr. Stark and lightly tapped the man on the shoulder. Stark looked up immediately and spun around on his chair to face Peter.

"What's up, kid?" He asked crossing his arms in a relaxed position.

Already having the question typed up Peter pressed enter. <My Aunt wanted to talk to you about me working in your lab>

"Really? What for?" He asked. Stark had taken his earpiece out when he started working, he wish he didn't especially after finding out the kid had a poker face to rival his own.

Peter just shrugged before typing <I don't know, she just wanted to speak with you>

<Whenever you're free> Peter quickly added.

Stark pulled out his phone looking through it, Peter assumed he was checking his scheduled. "How about tomorrow? I'm not doing anything that evening and might as well treat you to dinner."

Peter just nodded, he was caught between getting excited and remaining terrified. Having a meal with Tony Stark caused the fanboy inside him to almost pass out, but on the other hand, the fact that May would be there might cause some problems if she tries to manipulate the man. He hoped Mr. Stark would be immune to her, since he's probably had to deal with numerous manipulative people in his life.

<I'll make sure to tell her, she'll be glad to meet with you> Peter gave Mr. Stark a smile to pretend he was excited about it.

"Good, tell me if it doesn't work. I'm sure I can find somewhere else in my scheduled to fit you two in." Stark tried to look past the smile, but was once again surprised at how well the kid was at putting on a mask. He almost couldn't find a fault and for a split second was convinced it was genuine, that was until he noticed how tightly Peter was gripping his phone which then lead him to notice he was packed to leave. "Heading out already?" Tony asked.

Peter glanced at his bag as if he forgot he was wearing it before nodding. <Thought I would get an early start on my patrol>

"Well don't let me keep you," He turned back around in his chair facing his desk again. "New York need the friendly neighborhood Spider-Man," he added, only turning his head to look back as the teen walked away. He remembered the text he sent Happy a few days ago about feeling like he could do more, but Tony knew the kid wasn't ready for that, at least if his time in Germany had to say anything about it. He still had a slight twinge of guilt from dragging the kid into a fight that was clearly out of his league.    

Peter looked back with a small nod before continuing to the elevator.

* * *

 

Peter decided to spice things up a little as he looked over the city. Instead of his usual crouched position on a roof ledge he now hung upside down on his webbing that clung to a currently inactive construction crane.

Another useful trait given to him by the spider bite was the fact that he didn't get light headed or dizzy from hanging upside down, or by any other orientation. It was like he was standing normally, of course he could still tell the difference between standing up right or hanging upside down, that didn't change. He had a theory that it had something to do with his heart, since normally it was used to compensating for gravity when pumping blood to the head, that's why astronauts faces are more flush or why the blood rushes to your head quickly when hanging upside down. Peter suspected that his heart got stronger with the bite, since all his other muscles increased in strength it was easy to forget that the heart was also pure muscle and probably went under the same transformation.

Whether that was the case or not, he was still thankful for the ability. His mind started to wander back to when he first visited Mr. Stark's workshop, when he spoke in front him. Granted, it was just a single syllable and wasn't really a word for that matter, so did it count? It didn't really matter what he thought but he knew that Aunt May would be furious if she found out, that was another thing that worried him, would Mr. Stark tell?

Peter thought back on the scene, judging by the way Mr. Stark just shrugged it off it didn't seem to matter if Peter spoke or not. Maybe it was so insignificant that the man already forgot about the incident. Or maybe he did care, he just didn't want to make a big deal out of it for Peter's sake.

Peter sighed in frustration, Mr. Stark wasn't an easy man to read and Peter was having a hard time deciding if the man trustworthy enough to even hint at who May really was.

A twitch of panic shot up Peter's spine at the thought, he tightened his grip on his webbing as he squinted his eyes shut. 

No that was bad, he shouldn't be thinking of those thing. He couldn't tell anyone anything, no matter what. 

Though, just the thought of thinking about telling someone surprised him, it felt like a lifetime since he's considered that option, but that hardly matters. He could barely say it to himself let alone to another person. He had to cross that unfinished bridge before he could even think of the mountain that followed.

Peter slowly opened his eyes and loosened his grip enough so it wasn't a death hold. Maybe today he can just focus on telling the truth to himself.

He took in a breath, mentally reminding him that he was the brave Spider-Man right now, not the terrified Peter Parker. The mask gave him the small comfort of anonymity.

"I.. know..." He whispered to himself, and if he's being honest it surprised him that he managed two words. He hadn't realized he squinted his eyes shut again until they fluttered open with surprise. The sharp jolt of panic was significantly less, but it was still there and he bet his hands would be shaking if he wasn't gripping the strand of web he hung on.

Two syllables, two words. That wasn't so bad, that was the most progress he made in years. Though he quickly found his thoughts belittling him at the accomplishment.

That wasn't anything special, toddlers can speak more than that. There's really nothing special about saying two words.

Peter looked down at the city below him, it felt like he was fighting two sides of himself. He needed to stop thinking, some mindless swinging should do the trick.

Peter let go of the web he'd clung to for the last 30 minutes. As he fell through the air he let his mind clear and the conflicting side of his thoughts shushed. Just before he reached out a hand to launch a string of webbing to latch onto the nearest building, he couldn't help but notice his chest felt a little looser than normal.

* * *

 

After patrolling, his rush to get home was more frantic than usual due to the events earlier that week. His alarm to remind him of the time went off in the middle of a bank robbery, kinda ruining the element of surprise. It worked out in the end though, his spider sense kept him from suffering three different bullet wounds and at least ten knife wounds. There was this one moment where it told him to duck, which he did without a second thought, but never found the reason why since after the four robbers were webbed up he high tailed it out of there.

He was home early and that definitely helped him calm down some before he started his chores. Getting hope early meant he also finished chores early, with his extra hour before May would get home, he decided to start rebuilding Ned's Lego Deathstar. His friend hadn't even mentioned it since he found out Peter was Spider-Man, Peter suspected it was because Ned was still processing that fact. For how supportive Ned was of the discovery, the least Peter could do was rebuild the Lego set since it was partly his fault it was shattered in the first place.

By the time Peter's spidey sense flared up, signaling May's return home, he only finished half of the Deathstar. It had taken longer than expected to find the correct manual online and digging through a large box of Legos to find some of the smaller pieces was also time consuming. In the end he was just glad there was some progress.

Peter was already heading for the living room when the front door opened. May was chatting with a neighbor down the hall and Peter could see the perfectly crafted warm smile, but the moment she closed the door it vanished in an instant. 

Aunt May was carrying take out and Peter was quick to take the bags from her hands as he walked into the kitchen to set everything out. "Did you talk to Mr. Stark today?" She asked, but it sounded more like a demand.

Peter nodded 'He said he wants to treat us for dinner tomorrow'

May smirked seeming satisfied with the answers. "Can't wait," Peter couldn't help but shiver at her tone, she was up to something.

* * *

 

Stark leaned back in his chair as he spun in slow circles thinking. "Alright Friday, we need a game plane for tomorrow."

<What were you thinking, boss?>

"We need a way to keep tabs on Peter's stress levels, otherwise we'll be blind to his reactions," He mumbled.

<Seeing as my sensors are only active in the tower and your personal homes, there's no why I can accurately track his vitals on visuals alone>  

"Yeah that's the problem." Stark held the handle of a screwdriver to his lips in thought.

The tower was out of the question and it would seem too personal to invite them to one of his homes considering the nature of the visit. They had to eat out, Stark already had the venue picked out, it was nothing too fancy but still had class and it offered discrete seating to keep others seeing him there, because god forbid someone snag a picture. He didn't want to think of the headlines.

_ Tony Stark seen with unknown woman and teen. Consequences from his party days? _

He found himself caring less about what they'd actually say about him and more worried about Peter being in the limelight. 

He shook the thought from his head, that problem has already been solved no need to dwell on it. He spun in his chair again but then stopped himself as he looked down. He had an idea, something that just might work.

Who was he kidding. He was genius, of course it would work.


	8. Chapter 8

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Surprise! I didn't die I swear, just got sick for a bit and couldn't get my groggy head into wanting to wright... and then after that I had my wisdom teeth taken out so I had to deal with that and the painkillers. I thought it was best to wright this chapter with a clear head anyways since it includes the dinner that everyone's been excited for. I hope you guys like it, it's a longer chapter then usual and it took me awhile to finally be satisfied with how the conversation went.
> 
> Enjoy!

Peter was nervous all throughout the next day, he almost couldn't focus in his classes but had to force himself anyways. During lunch Ned and MJ joined him in the library as he typed up his extra credit papers to turn in later that afternoon.

"Peter, what's up with you," MJ asked abruptly. The three of them were quietly working on their own projects while eating, it wasn't uncommon for MJ to break the silence with random comments aimed at no one in particular, so being called out specifically while deep in focus was almost disorienting.

He was making final edits to his second assignment when he looked over at her with a confused look.

"You're doing that thing where you obsessively touch your phone when you're nervous" She looked down at the desk in front of him nodding towards it to draw his attention to his hands.

Looking down Peter noticed she was right, while one hand was resting on the computer mouse the other was tapping the back of his phone. He forced himself to stop within that moment, he hadn't even known he was doing it before. He sighed realizing she was right, his mind was constantly wandering back to the thought of the dinner. With so many ways it could go wrong it was hard not to worry.

He picked his phone up and began to type, he really didn't see a reason for not telling his friends. It was dinner with Tony Stark, they would never guess the real reason he was nervous and think it was just because Mr. Stark was a celebrity.

<Mr. Stark invited me an aunt May to dinner tonight> Ned had looked up from the textbook he was working out of and his eyes went impossibly wide.

"Dude, no way. That's awesome! Can you get his autograph for me? Wait no! I want him to sign my yearbook" Ned said quickly.

"Ned, chill out. It's  _ just _ Tony Stark" MJ said, she seemed unfazed by the news and held her usual stoic expression.

"Just Tony Stark? Are you serious? The guys like a genies and he's Iron Man!" Ned's voice got a little too loud and the librarian shushed him from across the room. "Sorry" Ned whispered loudly.

"The guy’s a billionaire who thinks he can do whatever he want and has no spine to stand up for what's right or even to stand up for what he believes in" MJ replied quickly. "Have you guys actually read the accords that he so willingly signed?"

Ned and Peter just glanced at each other before shaking their heads. Peter wasn't surprised to find the sudden change in topic, it was how a lot of their conversations flowed. He was a little thankful for that trait since it took the attention off himself.

"Did you guys know that if an enhanced individual brakes any law, they are refused the right of due process? Those accords completely nullify the fifth and fourteenth amendments for anyone who has superhuman abilities" MJ tone was furious but still remained quiet so the librarian wouldn't get onto her. "Not to mention the fact that all those who sign the accords are required to wear a tracking device and reveal their identity to the United Nations, which is a complete invasion of privacy! So with that in mind, look at Spider-Man..." She paused, Peter had to resist the urge to look at Ned who was, not so subtly, glancing at him. "He's a vigilante that's working outside of the law. No one knows who he his, no one knows where he came from, and a seriously doubt he signed the accords because someone would have leaked his identity by now even if they were putting effort into keeping his name a secret. AND I also doubt he hasn't been noticed by Tony Stark since the guy has eyes and ears everywhere, plus Spider-Man’s not exactly discreet, so a question remains..." She trailed off looking at them both, she always had a thing with dramatic pauses.

"What's the question?" Ned asked, finally speaking up. 

"Why hasn't Iron Man visited Spider-Man yet? According the the accords Mr. Stark signed, Spider-Man is breaking the law by doing what he does without a signature on said accords." MJ looked at them both studying their reactions before she leaned back in her chair. She looked satisfied by their wide eyed expressions. "So I have a theory," she crossed her hands behind her head to supported it.

<What's the theory?> Peter typed.

"I think Mr. Stark is working with Spider-Man, and may even know who it is. I mean how else do you explain Spider-Man's new suit? He goes from a cheap hoodie to shiny spandex overnight and think people wouldn’t notice?" MJ said with a smug grin "That's why I think he's spineless, maybe even a coward, he willingly signed the accords but now he's helping someone who's breaking them? Whatever the reason for signing the accords he doesn't seem to be willing to stand up for them. Honestly I really don't see why you guys fanboy over that man. Yeah he’s a genius but look at his actions, not exactly role model material if you ask me”  

Peter was a little shocked, MJ was really spot on with her theory, but unfortunately that only brought on more worries for Peter. If she was right about the accords, and he's petty sure she was, than why was Mr. Stark helping Peter be Spider-Man?

Peter refused to open that can of worms right now and opted for finishing his extra credit assignment. He had enough on his plate as it was.

* * *

 

When school ended, Peter felt a little awkward walking into the Avenger’s tower, mostly because he wasn't sure how he should act around Mr. Stark considering they would be meeting up again that night. Should he mention the dinner? Or would that just back him into a verbal corner since he wasn't exactly sure what there would be to talk about. From what Peter assumed Mr. Stark already had it all planned out, Peter just needed to collect the where and the when. 

Peter sighed at himself as he make his way to the front desk. He was over thinking this small social interaction and making a bigger deal about it then was necessary, despite knowing that, it didn't make it less nerve racking.

He approached the front desk holding his ID up to the woman behind it, again a different face from the day before but one he didn't recognize. 

The woman took it, scanned it, then read something that popped up on her screen. She took a slip of paper then jotted something down.

"Mr. Stark wanted me to inform you that the he won't be in the lab today and that you should..." She glanced back at the screen squinting her eyes as she read a portion of the message aloud, "... work on your primary goals for the internship." She looked back at him and handed him the paper. "And here's the time and place, the memo says you know what for"

Peter nodded and took the paper. 

Primary goals? Was Mr. Stark talking about patrolling? Also Peter had to mentally role his eyes at himself, he was working himself up over a conversation that was immediately solved by a sticky note. He really hated his brain sometimes.

Realizing he was probably staring at the sticky note to long, Peter quickly nodded his thanks to the woman and gave a small wave before walking back towards the front entrance. Just before he pushed opened the door he overheard the receptionist talking to a coworker with his enhanced hearing.

"Hey did you see that kid I was just taking with?"

"What about him?" 

"I think he's having dinner with Mr. Stark tonight"

"No way, let me see?... I doubt it, I bet it's with some representative. There's no way-"

The doors closed behind Peter cutting off the conversation. He wished they were right and it was dinner with some representative, at least then he wouldn't be worried nearly as much, but it was a useless hope.

Peter walked down the busy sidewalk and took a turn into a deserted alleyway. He quickly changed into his suit, which took longer than he'd like, then grabbed his phone texting Aunt May about the time and place of the dinner. 

The Galleon at 7:30. He didn't recognize the restaurant, though that was probably due to the fact that Peter would never find himself eating there under normal circumstances. A quick google search proved him right, the place was pretty expensive for his liking but not so much that it was exclusive to the rich of New York. Judging by the prices on the website Peter wouldn't be surprised to see a normal citizen visiting the place on special occasions. 

Tucking his phone into his backpack with his clothes, Peter slung the bag onto his back before tightening the straps.

He pulled his mask on and the digital interface came to life through the lenses. The familiar red and blue of the HUD brought a much welcomed calmness to wash over Peter. He smiled as he leaped up onto the wall lining the alleyway, he jumped back and forth between the two walls until he flipped onto the rooftop.

He was Spider-Man right now and while wearing the mask Peter didn't have to worry about anything.

* * *

 

"Yeah, Pepper, just got out of the 4 o'clock meeting. Seriously though why did I even need to be there? You could have had the papers delivered" Stark said as he walked into his penthouse. He already started unbuttoning his waist coat to change into something less formal for the dinner with Peter and his Aunt.

"You still need to make appearances, it's good for PR if they think you're still invested in the company" Her voice came from the hidden speakers from around the room as FRIDAY fed the phone call through them. "Tony, your name is on the company they just want assurance that you're not gallivanting around in the suit and ignoring them," Pepper sighed. She'd had this same conversation with him countless times before. 

"The board members are always so skittish, plus I think they're reasoning is entirely ridiculous!" Stark walked through the penthouse and found himself in the bedroom looking through the closet. FRIDAY made sure Pepper's voice could be easily heard throughout the journey.

"No, they have plenty of reasons to worry when the main shareholder moonlights as a superhero"

"Are you sure it's not a superhero that moonlights as a shareholder?" Stark said with a smug tone.

"I'm positive," Pepper's eye roll could be heard through her tone alone.

Stark just laughed as he compared different outfits "Well, either way I'm off the clock so let's not talk business right now." There was a small pause before he continued. "So how have you been? Haven't seen you since last week"

"Stressed would be putting it mildly, the California division is still recovering but after I tie up a few loses ends it should be fine." Stark could hear a rustle of papers in the background.

"Our trip to India should help with some of that, I can get a whole spa day set up after that wedding we were invited to" Stark found a black blazer and an ACDC t-shirt to wear under it. He tossed the two articles of clothing onto the bed along with a pair of dark jeans before he walked over to a sitting chair in the corner of the room practically falling into it letting an arm and leg drape over the armrests, one on either side.

"That would honestly be fantastic," she said with another sigh but instead of annoyance it was filled with relief. "Let's hope the jet lag doesn't get me first"

"Maybe instead of the spa let's just stay at the hotel and sleep the rest of the day? Not like we have anything scheduled after the wedding and we don't get back till Monday."

"That almost sounds like the perfect vacation," Pepper gave a small laugh, “But the spa sounds just as good."

"I'll let you think it over, give me the verdict later. I've got to get ready" Stark said as he stood up then walked over to the bathroom door, he ordered FRIDAY to get the shower ready.

"For what? I thought your day was done" She asked curiously.

"I've got a dinner with that kid I took to Germany and his Aunt. I made him an intern and he told me his aunt wanted to talk with me about something." Stark leaned against the doorway of the bathroom with his arms crossed.

"That's not like you to accept requests like that."

"Yeah I know... but something’s not right about the kid's aunt."

"...What do you mean?" He could hear the hesitance in her voice.

"I don't know yet. I’ve just got this feeling," Stark sighed as he pinched the bridge of his nose "But I'm going to find out."

Pepper sighed, "Tony, I'm not sure I like the idea of you messing with this kid's life, but if you really think something might be wrong just be careful. I don't want this blowing up in your face if you're wrong. We don't need another PR nightmare... not with everything that happened with the Avengers"

"I know, Pep," he said slowly as he nodded, despite the fact he knew she couldn't see him.

"I better let you go then, just please be careful..." There was a short pause before she added "I love you." Her words brought a small smile to Stark's lips.

"Love you too, dear. I'll see you tomorrow"

<Call terminated> FRIDAY said over the speakers.

"Right let’s get this show on the road," Stark said as he walked into the bathroom. "Fri, you have those sensors ready?"

<Of course, boss. The design was sent in yesterday and the prototypes are waiting in the garage. I must remind you they still haven't been tested yet>

"Well no good time like the present and if they don't work... call my cell pretending there's an emergency. We can reschedule the dinner and try again"

<That could potentially upset the Parkers if forced to reschedule>

"Then let's hope the prototypes work."

* * *

 

It was extremely rare that Stark was reasonably fashionably late, let alone actually  _ early  _ to a scheduled event, but it was something he was actually invested in. He also needed time to set up his prototype vital sensors in one of the chairs so he could see Peter's real reaction to the conversation.

The table he had reserved was in the back of the restaurant with the view of them obscured by a large fish tank with all sorts of exotic creatures and plants. The table had one of its sides against the wall under the fish tank with four chairs available for them to sit in. This was a crucial decision, he only had enough sensors for one chair so determining which Peter would most likely sit in was important.

Luckily Stark had most of this figured out. One side of the table was completely ruled out since Peter would be setting on the same side as his Aunt May and since May was the one to request the meeting it was extremely likely that she would want to sit directly in front of Stark for easy and direct discussions. Stark decided to sit on the inside chair of one side so he placed the sensors on the opposite side on the outside chair.

It would allow for the waiter to set his food down in the remaining space on his side so they didn't hand it to him, and it allowed for Peter to not feel to trapped if his stress levels escalated.

After setting the sensors up he examined his work after sitting down in his decided chair on the opposite side. One of the reasons he picked this restaurant was because of the type of chairs they had, a strange detail to consider when looking into a restaurant but he needed chairs with fabric lining on the backs and seat so he could easily hide the sensors with in them.

Glad to note that his tampering with the chair was unnoticeable, Stark pulled out the same earpiece he used in the lab and tucked it into his ear.

"Talk to me, baby"

<Sensors are on standby. Everything seems to be functioning as expected, boss> FRIDAY said through the earpieces.

Stark smirked. "So far so good then, now we wait," he said before pulling out his phone. He pulled up a random social media site to scroll through but he was hardly focused on any of the words. His thoughts were to preoccupied with the dinner at hand.

Minutes passed and a waiter approached the table with menus in hand and the Parkers following him. "Mr. Stark, the rest of your party has arrived," the waiter said with a friendly smile before stepping aside to let the other two have access the the table.

Stark stood up to greet the two. "Ms. Parker, it's so lovely to meet you again," he said with a faint smile. He leaned over the table slightly to shake her hand.

"Oh, please, call me May, Mr. Stark" The woman said with a flattered smile as she took his hand in a light grip.

"It's only fair if you call me Tony," he grinned. He let go of her hand before motioning towards the seat in front of him. "Please, sit. Let's get this show on the road." He sat back down in his chair as he watched the two take their seats. 

Just as he predicted, May sat directly in front of him and Peter sat next to her. The kid didn't look as nervous as Stark expected him to be, but he did notice how Peter kept his phone clutched between both hands as he used an index finger to rapidly tap against the top. 

Peter had been staying behind May like a shy child, but his eyes were constantly wandering around as he examined the area. It wasn't till he was sitting that his eyes rested on the beautiful fish tank next to them.

<I've started the calibrations, it will take a few minutes before I can test the readings, boss> FRIDAY said into Stark's ear. 

The waiter took the opportunity of the paused conversation to place the menus in front of everyone before speaking. "My name is Markus, I will be your server this evening. What would everyone like to drink tonight?"

Stark motioned for the Parkers to go first, May gave him a small smile as she glanced down at the drinks on the menu.

"I would like glass of chardonnay," she then glanced at Peter before she turned to dig into her purses. "And he'll just have water," she added.

The waiter nodded as he wrote down the drinks.

"Good idea," Stark said as she pulled out her ID. "I doubt they'd let you drink without checking" He joked. 

May giggled as she handed the waiter her ID, "You're too kind, Tony."

After giving her ID back Markus turned to Stark, "And you Mr. Stark?"

"Scotch on the rocks" Stark replied, he didn't bother giving his ID. In fact he can't remember the last time someone asked him for it, he can't even recall if anyone ever did. Not even when he was underage.

The waiter nodded. "Your drinks will be out in a moment," he smiled before turning to leave.

"So, Pete, how was the internship today? Sorry I couldn't be at the tower, got stuck in a meeting all afternoon" Stark looked down at his menu but out of the corner of his eye he noticed Peter start to type but May responded faster than the kid could finish writing what he was going to say.

"Speaking of, I wasn't aware of Peter getting the opportunity to work with you personally during the internship" May said as she also skimmed through the menu.

Peter stopped typing at her words and slowly lowered his phone, from the outside he didn't look to bothered by the interruption.

Stark was about to dodge the question, wanting to wait for where that conversation to progress when he had tabs on Peter's stress levels. Luckily he didn't have to, Markus showed up with the drinks in hand setting them in the proper places before he leaving to give them more time on the menu.

<Calibrations complete>

_ 'Finally!'  _ Stark thought, he didn't like the idea of answering questions blind and despite her playful attitude, May was there for business and so was he. He took a sip of his scotch as he waited for FRIDAY's next words.

<Stress levels at 89%>

It took everything Stark had to not show an outward reaction to the number, but without his restraint he surely would have choked on his drink. He hardly expected Peter’s stress to be that high before the dinner even started.

He had to clear his throat before talking.

"Yeah, about that. It was sort of a spur of the moment kind of thing. Caught him being carried out by security when he forgot his ID, decided to bring him up to the shop. Kid had more potential then I first though." He said with an impressed smile. It wasn't a total lie.

May looked over at Peter with a proud smile as she reached over to put a hand on his shoulder. "Never underestimate us Parkers," she said before looking back at Stark. Peter looked down with a bashful smile.

<94%>

"I'll try to keep that in mind" Stark said before taking another sip of his drink. He watched at May moved her hand away from Peter.

<89%>

Stark was only just now realizing how true her words were, he completely underestimated the kid's poker face before, not to mention how flawless the kid's act was. Peter was on the verge of a panic attack but was able to keep his appearance almost relaxed with only a slight hint of nervousness that was acceptable for the situation. It was almost like he’d been doing this act his entire life.

After the glass parted from his lips Stark spoke again. "I hope that him working with me doesn't bother you to much? I've been thinking of starting a mentor program kinda thing and I think he'd be perfect for it. Can't tell you the full detailed right now because the program is still in the works, but he's  _ definitely _ at the top of a very small list I have for candidates."  _ Still in the works  _ was an understatement, considering he just invented the program.

"No, no, of course not," She said shaking her head. "It's just..." She paused for a moment seeming hesitant about her next questions.

"Don't be shy, I'd be happy to clear up any concerns you might have" Stark set his glass down as he drew his attention back to the menu, there wasn't much use looking at it since he already knew what he wanted.

"Well..." She continued, "I just worry that Peter might be taken advantage of. I hear all those stories of big corporations taking the ideas of their workers and claiming their ideas, I just don't want that happening to Peter." She glanced at Peter with concern.

Peter had been quietly looking at the menu, Stark caught him occasionally looking between the two adults. 

"A completely reasonable worry," Stark said with a wave of his hand. He was trying to determine what game she was playing, she was an even harder book to read then Peter without the sensors. "But we'll have a clause in the contract that will give Peter the rights to anything he creates."

"Good," she smiled as she took a sip of her glass, Stark could have sworn it turned into a smirk as she brought the drink to her lips.

It was then that the Markus returned asking for their orders, Stark couldn't help but notice May order for Peter again without input from the kid. When Markus left, Stark was the first to speak again.

"Peter, tell me about school? I hope the hours at the tower are manageable, I heard you quit band." Stark watched as the kid started typing, but again he stopped when May answered for him.

"All A’s right now, I expect nothing less of him. That was one of our deals we made if he did the internship." She glanced over at Peter.

<92%>

"He's a brilliant kid, doesn't surprise me that he's doing so well. Though, I've always wondered... a kid like Peter. Shouldn't he be a few grades ahead?" Stark asked casually. He didn't miss the fact that she was controlling the conversation, Peter hadn't even gotten a word in yet. He couldn't help but think she might be using his need to type to her advantage.

"Oh, well, I don't want him to feel out of place. I want him to be around kids his own age, plus he was accepted into the one of the best schools in New York. Surly that's enough."

Stark just nodded as he took a drink of his dwindling scotch, it wasn't really his business to tell her how to parent Peter... unless of course that parenting technique harmed Peter, but it wasn't like he had proof of any of that…  _ yet _ . All he really knew was Peter was extremely stressed out around her and now that he confirmed that, he needed to figure out the why.

Asking out right was not an option, that could just end up hurting Peter, and May could easily pull him out of the internship giving him no rational reason to be interacting with him anymore. He had to do this carefully.

"What about home? Tell me, what's a lazy Saturday night look like at the Parker house?" He set his now empty glass down on the table.

"It's really not much, but Peter and I do love our movie nights" She said with a fond smile as she glanced at Peter.

<95%>

_ 'It seems Peter doesn't share that opinion...'  _ Stark thought to himself.

"Curled up on the couch, with popcorn and usually Peter's favorite movie playing," May continued. Stark would have believed her, if it weren't for Peter's growing stress levels. 

<97%>

Luckily the waiter came back with their food before she could continue. Markus set Stark's plate on the empty place next to him allowing him to slide it over to his spot. He then served the Parkers their food. Glancing at Peter's plate Stark assumed that he should have mentioned he was paying, since it was one of the least expensive dishes on the menu and also had smaller portions, but looking over at May's plate it was obviously not the case. She had ordered one of the more expensive stakes on the menu. 

Stark wasn't sure what to make of that, but either way, he wasn't a fan.

Markus didn't leave right away. "Sir, would you like me to get you another scotch?" He asked politely.

"No, I think I'll have a Coke instead." Stark replied as he put a napkin in his lap and started cutting into his own stake.

"Right away, sir," Markus said with a quick nod before taking Stark's empty glass, he then looked at May. "Ma'am, would you like a refill?"

"Please," May replied as she handed her glass to the waiter.

Markus gave a quick glance to Peter's water, witch was practically untouched, before saying "Enjoy your meal," then turned to leave.

Using the silence of everyone taking the first bites of their food, Stark thought of his next course of action. It was probably best to steer the conversation away from Peter, the poor kid was panicked enough. It was probably best to start asking questions about May herself.

After finishing his first bite Stark spoke, "What was it you do for a living again?" He asked with a curious tone, despite already knowing the answer.

"I'm a nurse at the New York Presbyterian"

<90%>

Stark was glad Peter noticed the subject shift. "Really? Hope the jobs not to tough on you, but I doubt being a nurse in New York is easy" 

"It is what it is," she said with a tired sigh. "But I wouldn't want anything different. Ben was always one for helping people in need, he was a police officer after all. I like to think keeping those ideals is a little like a piece of him his still around" She looked down at her plate with a sad smile.

The moment Ben's name was mentioned Peter's stress spiked.

<98%>

There goes the attempt of giving Peter a brake, but it's good to know that his Uncle is a bad subject. "Ben was your..." Stark asked, because he technically wasn't supposed to know who that was.

"My late husband," she continued. "He was Peter's uncle."

"I'm sorry for your loss," Stark said, he meant it to, but it was mostly directed at Peter.

Peter looked up at Stark for a small second before returning his gaze to his plate.

"Thank you," May said seeming to be grateful for the sympathy. "It was years ago but we still feel his loss."

Almost ten years ago if Stark remembered correctly. "How did he pass?" Stark asked gently.

"The apartment building we lived in at the time caught fire, it was just one of those accidents," her tone was somber now.

<99%>

Right, time to completely change the subject, but Stark couldn't help but notice that Peter's stress rose at the mention of  _ accident _ . Stark made a note to do research on that fire later.

A small moment of silence passed. Before Stark could come up with a segway into a different topic he was halted by his phone buzzing. He slipped it out of his pocket to check the message then mentally sighed.

Some idiot decided to break into Fort Knox, obviously they didn't get too far but an entitled higher up is wanting Iron Man there. It would only cause more problems to ignore it then to comply.

"I hate to cut this dinner short, but there's some Iron Man business I need to attend to" He put his phone back in his pocket as he stood. Peter perked up at the mention of Iron Man. He could already tell what the kid was thinking.

"Oh! Well don't let us keep you, I'm sure it's important" May said with some surprises. "and thank you for setting this dinner up, I know your schedule is busy"

"My pleasure," he said with one of his press worthy smiles. "It was lovely seeing you again, and Peter," he pointed at the teen, "I'll see you at the tower on Monday." Stark hoped the kid was smart enough to get the subtext.

Peter deflated slightly signaling that he did, he then gave Stark a small nod.

_ 'Sorry, Spiderling. No missions for you today' _ Stark though as he turned to walk out of the restaurant.

A car was already waiting for him outside, he quickly got in before to many people realized who he was. As the driver pulled away Stark took the opportunity of the silence to look back on what he gathered from Peter's Aunt May. It was all troubling to realize May was an amazing actress. 

Half the time he almost believed her expressions since they were so convincing, but Peter's stress was defiantly caused by her, Stark had no doubt about that now. If it wasn't for the way Peter's reacted when she touched him he probably wouldn't have examined her as closely as he did, he could see now that her actions were a little to perfect. The glances towards Peter as she talked, the timing of her pauses, even her shifting body language. Hell, he would have totally fallen for the bit about Ben if it wasn't for Peter reacting to the word  _ accident. _

Out of all the new information he had, that was the most worrying. He already read the report of Ben's death, it said that Peter was the one to witness it.

What exactly did Peter see that night?

And was that the cause of his refusal to speak?

Stark was now more then determined to find answers to these questions. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I had this nice little conversation planned out between Ned, MJ, and Peter but somehow MJ turned it into a lecture on the Sokovia Accords. 
> 
> Anyways I was also wondering if you guys wanted more Spider-Man stuff? What happens during the patrols aren't particularly relevant to the story but if that's something you guys want to see i wouldn't mind writing a few scenes at your request.
> 
> You guys are awesome by the way! I'm glade a lot of you are so invested in the plot, and don't worry I should be updating more frequently after this, you won't have to wait nearly as long as before.


	9. Chapter 9

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Ok good news guys, I was able to get most of the spelling errors and mistakes fixed in the previous chapters thanks to a friend of mine. They were updated with this chapter. Nothing to drastic was changed so no need to reread if you don't want to.
> 
> Anyways, the way my scheduled is set up I can manage a chapter a week but I won't have a consistent update day. So yeah, enjoy!

After Mr. Stark left, Peter and May finished their meals in silence, he couldn't help but glance over at the unfinished steak Mr. Stark left. Was it weird he wanted grab the leftovers before the waiter came back?

Maybe not so much, it'd been forever since the last time Peter had a decent steak, May never liked _giving him the luxury_ as she so kindly put it. He didn't even have the luxury to let out his sigh of frustration, May wouldn't like the unnecessary noise and she defiantly wouldn't like Peter reaching for the abandoned plate across from them.

Either way it was too late to debate whether or not the consequences were worth it, the waiter returned with the drinks and noticed Mr. Stark had left. He took the plate and the water he had just brought, then disappeared around the corner.

It was always easy to forget how hungry he was until he was sitting in front of food he can't have. _'Stupid enhanced metabolism.'_

May took her time to finish her meal, Peter had finished his shortly after Mr. Stark left. He occupied himself with his phone as he waited.

Eventually May stood up, Peter followed and they both left the restaurant.

It felt a little weird leaving without paying but assuming Mr. Stark had already paid the bill there was no need.

The taxi home was silent and May didn't even acknowledge Peter when they stepped into the apartment, instead she went straight to the living room to start watching her TV drama.

Peter was relieved, he'd much rather her ignore him.

He took the chance to quietly walk into his room. Once the door was closed he let out the breath he'd been holding all night and allowed himself to relax, or at least as much as his active spidey sense would allow him.

The dinner went better than Peter expected. Mr. Stark didn't mention anything about Peter talking and Aunt May didn't try to convince the billionaire something was wrong with Peter.

Falling into bed, Peter let out another sigh as he snuggled into the blankets. He was too drained to bother changing into pajamas, not that it mattered, he passed out within a minute of his head hitting the pillow.  

* * *

 

The next day was Friday and soon the day lead into evening, which meant he was expected at Liz's party. It was easier than he expected when asking Aunt May for permission to go especially when he mentioned that everyone was going to be there. She was smart with her "parenting," she always considered how Peter's absence or presence to something would affect how people looked at her. She never let Peter go to fun field trips if the likelihood of not everyone going was slim but also avoided keeping him from events where everyone was expected to go so not to draw attention to May's choice.

Because heaven forbid someone get suspicious.

Peter secretly wished someone would, but he's already seen what happens when people did. It was hardly worth the effort anymore, plus ever since May found out threatening Peter wasn't enough anymore she started threatening his friends and unfortunately it worked better then May would have hoped. Peter cared more about his friend's well being then his own.

Before leaving the house Peter hid his suit under his clothes before waking out of his room. He wasn't a fan of using Spider-Man as a party trick but Ned was excited about it. If it helped his friend climb up the school's social latter then maybe it wouldn't be to bad.

May refused to take Peter to the suburban party so Peter had to leave early to make it to Ned's house so his mom could take them.

She was a polite woman and always so nice to Peter but he always felt a little awkward around her for reasons Peter couldn't understand. Perhaps it was because she treated Peter with a kindness he wasn't used to? Either way the car ride to the Party was mostly silent except for Ned and his mom chatting with each other.

She drove off telling them to have fun. Peter and Ned waved before walking up to the house. The loud music could be heard from outside and students were scattered across the lawn with sodas in their hands as they chatted in small groups.

"Dude, this is going to be so awesome!" Ned was practically bursting with enthusiasm. "So like, when you swing in can you give me one of those bro hugs then a fist bump?"

'sure, but I don't want to be there long. I don't want them figuring out Spider-Man can't speak' Peter signed.

"I forgot to ask you about that, how do you get a voice as Spider-man?" Ned asked curiously.

'Mr. Stark made it so I can use subtle hand motions that are translated into a voice. There are sensors in the suit, so I can't really do it without wearing it.'

"That's so awesome, but kind of a bummer. Maybe you should convince him to build a version of that for distribution, I'm sure it would help a lot of people who can’t speak."

Before Peter could respond Liz's front door was pulled open to reveal a vary unamused looking MJ and a room full of hyped teenagers behind her.

"What took you losers so long?" She asked, glancing between the two of them.

<We live on the other side of the city, not exactly a quick drive> Peter typed.

"Whatever." MJ shrugged. Both teens followed MJ into the kitchen, she leaned over the marble counter and started picking at the snacks offered.

"What are you even doing here MJ? I thought you said it was gonna be lame," Ned asked a little confused.

Peter was thinking the same, MJ was probably one of the only people here that could figure out Spider-Man can't speak and it wouldn't take her long to make the connection to Peter.

"I did..." She trailed off as she put a handful of Cheetos into her mouth. "But passing up free food is a crime," She said after swallowing.

Neither Ned or Peter could find a flaw in that logic so they ended the conversation there.

Liz soon approached them looking pleasantly surprised, "Peter, Ned, I'm so glad you could make it!"

Ned gave a nervous hello and Peter gave a smile with a small wave to greet her.

<It's a great party> Peter managed to type,

"Thanks." She smiled, though despite Ned standing next to him Peter couldn't help feel like she was only noticing him. "You know there's drinks, pizza. Help yourself."

Peter quickly nodded. He was about to type something but Liz's attention was drawn away by the sound of breaking glass.

"I gotta make sure everything's alright. My parents might kill me if anything important broken. Enjoy the party." She smiled before leaving to investigate the noise.

"Dude, now's the time." Ned said after she left.

'I don't know,' Peter was getting seconds thoughts, what would Mr. Stark think if he found out?

"Come on Peter." Ned begged, but they were both interrupted by 'DJ Flash' noticing them.

"Look it's Penis Parker! Where's you buddy Spider-Man? Hanging out with you imaginary girlfriend?" His comments were followed by air horns and laughs. "That's not Spider-Man, that's just Ned in a red shirt."

It was obvious Ned was getting very uncomfortable with the sudden attention and Flash's harassing caused Peter's second thoughts to be buried by anger.

'I'll be right back' Peter signed. Ned suddenly perked up.

Now standing on a nearby roof fully in costume, Peter looked down at the Party from where he hid. He made sure his translator was on and noticed Ned standing awkwardly next to MJ.

He almost worked up the courage to go through with the plan when he saw a flash of blue in the distance. It reminded him of the weapons dealers in the alleyway.

* * *

 

Stark was exhausted but he was glad he and Pepper could spend the rest of the day being lazy. They had just finished with the wedding. Pepper was already back at the hotel but Stark went off to mingle with other guests before leaving, that was until he got an urgent message from FRIDAY.

<Sir, Peter seems to be rapidly gaining altitude. His heart rate is up and sensors indicate he's being held upside down.>

Stark immediately pulled away from the man he was talking with and leaned against the base of a large statue as he pulled out a pair of glasses. "Send a suit immediately, let me see what's happening."

<Already done, sir> The AI responded, Stark was then shown what the Iron man suit was seeing. His heart dropped as he watched Peter fall from the grasp of a lunatic wearing a bird costume. Flashbacks of his own fall through the Portal of New York played through his mind. The feeling of helplessness washed over him as he witnessed Peter hitting the water while tangled in a parashoot designed to save him from the fall. He clenched his right fist into a ball trying to keep his hand from shaking.

He was relieved to watch as the Iron Man suit pulled Peter from the tangled cloth and out of the water. He let out the breath he'd been holding as he saw Peter land safely on some playground equipment. The kid immediately started explaining what happened, though with the lack of expression in his voice since his mask was off, Peter hardly seemed to notice though. He also thought he was speaking to FRIDAY.

"How do you keep finding me, did Mr. Stark put a tracker in my suit or something?" He asked.

During Peter's explanation Stark was silently keeping himself from a minor panic attack. He thought he was past this but seeing Peter fall resurfaced a few of those feelings, he was only now able to speak with a level voice.

"I put everything in your suit, including this heater."

FRIDAY activated the heater in the Spider-Man suit.

"Mr. Stark!" Peter's face showed his surprise, "Thank's.” Peter shivered when the heat was turned on.

"What were you thinking?" Stark asked with an angry bite in his tone. Peter seemed confused by his reaction.

"The guy with the wings is obviously the leader of the weapons dealers, he was with the guy from the other day-"

"So this isn't the first time you ran into these guys!?" Stark interrupted. "Why wasn't this in the reports you send to Happy?"

"Oh, I... Sorry Mr. Stark. I forgot to report in, I was late getting home that night. It just slipped my mind..." Peter's suit translated.

Stark let out a heavy sigh, he knew he shouldn't be mad, Peter was blinded by the fear of who he assumed was his Aunt May. The fight was probably the last thing on his mind, but Stark wasn't thinking rationally, watching Peter fall brought back anxieties he thought he’d dealt with. He was trying to force himself to calm down as Peter stumbled to explain himself.

"-I gotta take these guys down." Was all the Stark heard from the teen, after that he nearly lost it.

"Take them down now?" Stark interrupted again. "Kid, this guy was willing to kill you and you obviously weren't ready!" He snapped there was a sudden urge of protectiveness towards the kid that Stark didn't understand himself. "There are people who handle things like this and you’re not one of them."

"What like the Avengers?" Peter signed, his expression was a little hopeful.

"No, no. This is a little below their pay grade," Not to mention the avengers practically didn't exist anymore (despite what the UN would tell you.)

"Mr. Stark you really didn't have to come all the way out here, I had that you know." Peter took the small pause from Mr. Stark to talk again. Stark only now realizing how much the kid liked to chat, guess his phone really hinders his personality. The thought of May taking advantage of that crossed his mind.

"Oh, I'm not here," The suit's face plate opened to reveal an empty suit and Stark watched as a disappointed look crossed Peter's face, he really wished he was there in person. "Peter you were drowning, you're lucky this place has wifi or you could have died.” He continued, trying to ignore how Peter's disappointment made his chest constrict slightly. "Look just forget the flying vulture guy."

"Why?!" Peter objected.

"Why? Because I said so! This guy is dangerous and you're not ready for his type yet. Stay close to the ground, build up your game by helping the little people, defend against the small time criminals. Like helping that woman with the churro." Stark sighed, he realized how boring that sounded and understood why the kid wanted to hit the big leagues so fast. "Can't you just be a friendly... neighborhood Spider-Man?" He finished.

"But I'm ready for more than that now!" The kid pulled on his mask and the synthetic voice was properly displaying his emotions.

"No, you're not," Stark tried to say firmly.

"That is not what you thought when I took on Captain America!" Peter snapped.

Stark regretted taking him to Germany, but he couldn't exactly argue with Peter, he was fairing pretty well against the supper solder somehow perfectly dodging his punches, if it wasn't for the conveniently placed loading doc and the kid's distracting excitement over his new voice, Stark could easily see the fight ending with Steve wrapped in webbing... but he wasn't about to admit that in this argument. "Trust me kid, if cap wanted to lay you out, he would have," Stark lied. "Listen if you come across these weapons again, tell Happy immediately." The sound of Stark sports car could be heard through the speakers.

"Are you driving?" Peter asked.

"Listen, kid," Stark said ignoring Peter's question. "Just stay on the ground, don't mess with these guys... I'll see you Monday," he sighed. "End call."

"Wait no-" Peter's voice cut off and Stark pulled off the glasses before starting the zooming off in the sports car.

A small thought popped into Stark's head as he speed down the road, _'Maybe I'm getting too close to him'_ but it was quickly buried under the thoughts of Peter's suspicious Aunt May.

"Friday, what are the results you found on May Parker?" He asked.

<Ms. Parker doesn't have much. I found the marriage license of her and Ben Parker, as well as the police reports from the night Mr. Parker died. Reports say it was an accidental fire and he died of asphyxiation but was covered with burns postmortem, no other information was provided on his death.>

"Doesn't that report also say Peter was witness?" Stark asked tilting his head.

<Correct.>

"Shouldn't he have suffered the same?" The thought of a young Peter choking on smoke made a tense chill run down his spine.

<May Parker stated that she found Peter in the burning apartment after she arrived home late from work, Mr. Parker was already dead and she only managed to save Peter.>

"That doesn't make sense, Ben was a police officer right? Surely he of all people would have gotten out of there with Peter before the smoke got that bad"

<Logic would suggest that, yes.>

"That report doesn't make sense," Stark mumbled to himself. "Find anything else?"

<May Parker’s nursing license and medical records from when she was younger, but they’re sealed. I will need authorization to hack into the database, boss.>

"Permission granted, tell me when you get that done."

<Of course.>

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Tinny bit of plot development here. Hope that makes up for the short chapter...


	10. Chapter 10

Peter returned to the party with a dampened attitude. He hadn't expected Mr. Stark to be so upset with him he was only doing what he thought was right, he didn't see anyone else trying to go after the weapons dealers, though, that might have been because he never told Happy about it.

He stood on the roof of Liz's neighboring house crouched in his usual perched position as he looked at the party from the outside. The muffled base from the music inside along with the ambient noise from the partying teens would have been an oddly relaxing noise as Peter recovered from the adrenaline high gained from the earlier encounter.

At least it would have, if it weren't for the audible chanting Flash had started using the same crude name he'd called Peter at the start of the party.

Peter looked down at his phone and started to text Ned back, but just before he pressed send Ned sent another burst of texts.

**9:08PM**

**You probably shouldn't come back**

**Flash got everyone to chant Penis Parker**

**Guess we'll always be losers**

 

**I'm sorry dude**

**But a thing involving the internship happened**

**I'll tell you about it tomorrow**

 

**No way really????**

**That's so epic!!**

 

Peter couldn't help but smile at his friend's sudden shift in attitude. The party might have been ruined for them, but Ned was always able to find the bright side of things.

* * *

 

The weekend flew by with patrols and his time spend with Ned. He managed to finish building the Lego Deathstar with him as he told his friend about the encounter with the weapon dealers. Ned seemed to think that was way cooler than Spider-Man showing up at Liz's party, Peter was just glad his friend wasn't mad at him for the missed social climb. Though it seemed to earn him extra harassing from Flash online and at school that Monday but Peter didn't care to much about the bully. As long as he wasn't doing the same to his friends, the bullying was tolerable.

It wasn't till Ned and Peter were walking through the halls that he noticed two guys from the weapons deal wandering the hallways with a strange device. He pushed Ned to hide before he investigated what they were doing.

He quietly cursed to himself when he discovered they were tracking the energy source from the glowy thing Peter found on the first encounter, they must have just now noticed it was gone. Peter took the opportunity to plant a tracker on one of the men as they left.

If he knew they could track it he wouldn’t have brought the thing to school.

Ned and Peter secretly kept an eye on it for the rest of the day and Peter promised to visit Ned's house after the internship so they could watch the progress of the tracker together.

After arriving at Avengers’ tower everything was normal, well, as normal as it could be when getting instructions from a surprised desk clerk to take Tony Stark's private elevator that was monitored by an advanced AI. Just the day in the life of Peter Parker.

Though, it was strange to see a somewhat large pile of computer parts and scraps scattered about the lab near his work space.

Mr. Stark's music was playing quietly compared to the last time Peter walked in with the music blasting. He almost doubted Mr. Stark was there. He knocked on the frame of the glass wall that stood between the elevators and the rest of the shop.

<Boss, Peter is here.> He heard FRIDAY announce.

"Ah, finally!" Mr. Stark said as he rolled out from under an engine that sat on the far side of the room. "I thought you'd never get out of school."

<What's with all this stuff?> Peter typed then gestured to the computer parts.

"When we met, you told me you build old computers. I want to test your abilities." Mr. Stark lazily walked over to the pile of parts as he wiped the grease off his hands with a rag. He patted one of the old clunky computer monitors. "Only using stuff from the 90s, I want you to build me a..." He paused for a moment thinking. "You like video game right?" He continued. Peter just nodded in response. "Right, then build me something that can play your favorite _modern_ game. No tetris," he pointed at Peter as if giving a warning. "Maybe an RPG? Open world, yeah? That sounds like a challenge fit for you, what do you say? Don't mind putting your other projects on hold for a bit?" He asked leaning against a table just in front of Peter, he'd been walking around the parts as he spoke.

Peter just looked wide eyed at all the ancient computer parts, all this stuff was older then him and he was expected to make a working computer that ran a modern game?

That actually sounded pretty fun.

Peter looked up at Mr. Stark with a smile and nodded.

"Excellent!" Mr. Stark smiled. "Now, I don't expect you to shrink things down, yet, so I don't care how big the thing gets just make it work."

Peter nodded again but then started typing, the billionaire seemed to pause before turning away to give Peter time to respond.

<So could I use Skyrim for the game?>

"That game's over half a decade old, isn't already on every device out there?"

<That's kinda the point, the internet will get a kick out of it.>

Mr. Stark just rolled his eyes, "Fine but I expect high graphics on the end product."

Peter gave a thumbs up before slipping his phone into his pocket and going over to examine the parts available, deciding what to start with.

* * *

 

The lab was relatively quiet as both worked on their own projects. Peter seemed to know what he was doing, at least, that's what Stark thought since the kid hadn't ask for any help yet. At least it wasn't a project that was highly combustible so even if Peter didn't, the worst he could do was shock himself.

It wasn't till Peter left that FRIDAY spoke up.

<Boss, I have noticed a development.>

"What would that be?" Stark asked as he tested the formation of simple devices with his nano tech.

<Peter's stress levels seemed to have dropped from the usual base average of 30%.>

Stark paused in his work and leaned back in his chair. "What is it now?"

<20%>

"Do you know what caused it?"

<I am unsure at the moment, would you like me to go through the forage recorded on the baby monitor protocol?>

"Yeah, start with day after you sent the mark 15 out." Tony turned back to the nano tech and started testing other forms. It wasn't till he got around to testing the form of the Mark 48 gauntlet that FRIDAY reported back.

<There's something you might want to see sir.> She said before projecting the image of New York's skyline but viewed upside down. Peter's stress was measured off to the side. Stark just watched quietly as the kid looked over New York. The only think changing about the scene was his stress levels.

It started out at the usual 30% then jumped to 70% out of nowhere. Stark wished he invented something to read minds. Soon the levels slowly dropped back down to 30% but then something unexpected happened. Peter spoke. It wasn't like the accidental 'wow' he heard from the kid.

_"I know..."_

The sudden stop in the sentence indicated there was more to be said by the usually wordless Peter. His stress levels jumped to 55% but settled down to 20% before the spiderling decided to free fall from where he hung.

"Two words dropped his stress by 10%?... What does he know?" Stark asked, but the question wasn't directed at anyone but himself. His thoughts were soon drawn back to May Parker. "What about May, Friday? It's been three days, it usually doesn't take you that long to hack into government files."

<I have run into a problem after accessing them. I have been trying to find a solution since.>

"Yeah?"

<The digital records are there but not the information. The documents have not been integrated into a digital database and are only mentioned.>

"Great, that sounds fun. Where are they physically?"

<The Manhattan Psychiatric Center. There's an old storage room under the building that holds the old files that have yet to be digitized.>

"Hold on, backup. Where?" Stark said surprised. A mental hospital was the last place he expected the sealed files to be.

<The Manhattan Psychiatric Center, boss. There seems to also be connected files to the NYPD but I can't find any other mention of them. Either they were disposed of or have yet to be cataloged.>

"Right, can this lady get any more suspicious?"

<Might I suggest telling Mr. Parker of your investigation? He may be able to help with the missing information.>

Stark shook his head, "No, not yet, the kid is obviously terrified of this woman and telling him before we have solid proof might scare him off... We need to keep him close and away from May for now. Attempt to extend his time here whenever he tries to leave, its the least we can do for now. The longer he spends here the less time he's with that woman." He looked around the shop thinking. "Maybe get a couch or something in here? So the kid can do his homework."

<Boss, this lab will only be available for a few more weeks since everything is being moved to the new facility. Do you still want me to order the couch?>

"Right, forgot about moving day," Stark said as he rubbed his eyes. "I don't even know where Peter's internship is going to be once were out of the tower."

<One of the smaller research and development facilities around the city would be ideal.>

"Yeah, but I still want to work with the kid and those places don't have a private lab." Stark said, realizing that they technically haven't been working together. They have only been in the same room while working on different projects, but the kid doesn't seem that comfortable with him yet. Maybe after the computer project he can start a joint project between the two of them, something involving his spider suit might work.

<There is a facility in Brooklyn that has space that can be converted into a private lab. It would be half the size you’re used to, but it would suffice for a project like that.> The AI offered.

Stark let out a sigh, "Better than nothing." He turned back to the gauntlet on the table and continued testing the nano tech, "Start getting that space ready."

<Would you like the bots to be relocated there?>

Stark thought for a moment, "No, they still go to the compound. I promised Dummy a shiny new lab with space to roam."

The mentioned bot heard its name and zoomed over to its creator with a wrench in its claw. It waved its arm up and down excitedly.

"Yeah, buddy. I know you're excited," Stark chuckled as he pat the what was the equivalent of the robot’s head.

* * *

 

"Dude, they’ve stopped." Ned said as he watched the projected map that displayed the tracker Peter placed on the weapons dealer.

The two friends were hanging out in Ned's room, while Peter was using the literal sense of the term as he hung upside down from the ceiling, Ned sat comfortably on a large beanbag in the corner of his room. He wore Peter's spider mask as he played with the visuals of the HUD to pass the time.

'Maryland?' Peter signed.

"I wonder what's there?" Ned asked.

Peter just shrugged, 'evil lair?'

"They have a lair?"

'A gang with alien guns, run by a guy with wings? Yeah, they have a lair'

"Badass," Ned nodded, he probably imagined a scene out of a comic book. "But wait, how are you going to get there if it's like 300 miles away?"

Peter thought for a moment, 'It's not to far from DC, I'm sure they'd let me back on the decathlon team.' Peter reached up putting a hand on the ceiling so he could lower himself to the floor, he landed with a type of grace that caused the action to make no sound. Movements like that never needed practice, it came instinctively with his powers.

"Mr. Harrington does like you, I bet he'll boot Flash back to alternate," Ned said in an almost mischievous tone.

* * *

 

Getting permission from May was easy, Peter already had her sign the paper a week prior and didn't tell her he wasn't going on the trip in the first place. He was originally going to take the opportunity to get away from her for the few days he was supposed to be gone. He didn't care if he had to spend the night in the rafters of an old warehouse, it beat the stressful warnings of his spidey sense everyday he spent around her.

Still, a hotel did sound a lot better then warehouse rafters.

Running up to the awaiting bus with his bag packed and his phone ready, Abe was the first to notice him.

"Hey, it's Peter!"

This brought everyone's attention to him.

"Peter?" Liz said turning from a conversation she was having with one of the other students.

<Hey, I was hoping I could rejoin the team?>

"No, no way! You can't just quit on us, stroll up and be welcomed back by everyone!" Flash interjected.

"Hey, welcome back Peter!" Mr. Harrington said as he stepped off the bus. "Flash you go back to first alternate."

"What?" Flash replied, hardly believing that Peter was accepted back so easily.

"He's taking your place!" Abe shouted as he leaned against the bus.

Peter could see Flash bubble with rage, but before another word escaped his lips MJ was the one to speak up first.

"Excuse me can we go? I want to get in some light protesting before dinner," she said in her usual plain tone. Her interruption seemed to defuse the potential argument immediately as the subject shifted. Peter had to wonder if she did that in purpose.

"Protesting is patriotic. Let's get on the buss," Mr. Harrington urged the students.

Flash just let out a annoyed sigh and threw the yellow decathlon jacket at Peter with more force then was strictly necessary.

During the bus ride, the team took the opportunity to practice questions. Peter wasn't surprised that Abe had smuggled the whiteboard in his bag, Mr. Harrington gave a stern look at the student who only raised his hands in defense.

"What? I brought it just in case Peter came back," Abe replied, though by his tone, it was obvious that wasn't his original intentions.

Mr. Harrington just shook his head.

After what was probably an hour of practice Peter had rung the bell and quickly wrote _strontium, barium, vibranium_ , answering the question correctly. Suddenly he got a text from an unknown number.  

**4:15PM**

**Hey kid where you at?**

**Tracker says you're leaving town?**

**Forget to tell someone something?**

 

Shoot, Peter completely forgot about the tracker and he felt a pang of guilt about not telling Mr. Stark about the decathlon, and by extension the weapons dealer he was following, but he needed to prove to Mr. Stark that he could handle the big leagues. So, for now, the billionaire didn’t need to know that small detail.

"Need to take that?" Liz asked.

Peter glanced back at her with an apologetic look as he signed 'sorry.' Most of his teammates knew simple signs like that from spending time with Peter, so he had no need to use his phone or the whiteboard.

"It's fine, go ahead," Liz said with a small smile. Peter moved to the back of the buss sitting just behind Ned before Liz continued with the questions.  

"What's up, dude?" Ned asked looking over at Peter. He'd been sitting in the back watching the projection of the tracker, he kept it hidden from the eye's of the other students by using the tall bus seats as cover.

'Don't know,' Peter signed. 'I think Mr. Stark just texted me.'

"Mr. Stark has your phone number?!" Ned said, a little louder then he should have. Nobody seemed to notice but Peter did see Flash look their way.

Peter just shrugged before he started typing a response to the unknown number.

**Mr. Stark?**

 

**The one and only.**

**So what's the deal Pete?**

 

**Sorry, I didn't really have your number and I forgot to tell Happy.**

**I have nationals for decathlon.**

**We're going to DC.**

**I'll be back the day after tomorrow.**

**... if that's ok?**

 

**Yeah, you're fine.**

**When you didn't come to the lab I thought you were trying to ditch.**

 

**I would never do that! I really like working in your lab.**

**I just forgot...**

**... Sorry**

**Don't sweat it.**

 

Before responding Peter added the now known number to his contacts list under _Mr. Stark,_ but it was just then that his spidey sense flared up.

_Hostile contact._

He immediately spotted Flash out of the corner of his eyes, but when he tried to pull away his elbow contacted the bus seat not letting his arm pull away far enough to prevent Flash from grabbing his phone. Any other attempt would draw questioning attention, since Peter had been known to be fairly clumsy before the spider bite. It was difficult to restrain himself but he had to keep the image of helpless Peter Parker.

"Lying again, Parker?" Flash said in a harsh tone. It was loud enough to draw the attention of the others in the enclosed space. "So desperate for attention that you tell everyone you know Iron Man personally?"

With Peter's only voice now laying in Flash's hands and the whiteboard still sitting up front, Ned took initiative and spoke for Peter. "He's not lying!" He said quickly. Peter glanced over at his friend and noticed he had taking the chance to hide the device they used to follow the tracker. Peter made a mental note to thank Ned later.

"Yeah? Have you ever seen Tony Stark talk to Peter?" Flash argued.

"... No," Ned admitted. "But Peter's not a liar!" He added quickly.

A small sense of guilt filled Peter's chest, that wasn't entity true but the only reason he's ever lied to Ned was because of Aunt May as well as keeping the secret of Spider-Man. At least one of those he didn’t have to lie about anymore, the other he preferred not to think about at the moment.

"Well if he's such good friends with Mr. Stark then why haven't you met him yet? I bet this is just his Aunt's number renamed, it's not like he has anyone else to talk to," Flash smirked.

"That's enough," MJ said, now standing. Her usual calm tone had a scary underline of anger. She was always one to let people battle their own fights unless things were taken to far, and Flash just crossed a line that she didn't like. Still, Flash's confidence hardly wavered, he was probably fueled by his anger towards Peter.

"You're right, it's time to end Peter's lies. Why not just give _Mr. Stark_ a call and see who answers," Flash held up the phone hitting call on the newly made Mr. Stark contact. Flash made sure the speaker phone was as loud as it could be.

The whole bus was dead silent as it rang, even Mr. Harrington who had only just noticed the commotion delayed his intervention to see who would pick up.

It wasn't till the second ring that someone picked up, the phone was forced straight into a video chat despite Flash only clicking a voice call.

"So what I want to know is why is a mute kid calling instead of texting, surly that would make more sense. So who are you and where's Peter, moptop?"

There were small gasps around the room as everyone recognized the voice immediately. Most glanced Peter's way as he shrank into his seat, Ned just held a large grin and MJ wore a subtle smirk.

"Uh, M-Mr. Stark," Flash stuttered, no one was more surprised then the bully.

"Yup, now am I to assume you stole Peter's phone?" The billionaire questioned.

Having no idea what else to do Flash just turned the camera to face Peter, Peter gave a guilty looking smile and a small wave.

"Hey, Peter. Want to tell me what's going on?" Mr. Stark asked. "Friday, translate."

<Yes, boss> Said another voice through the speaker. Peter took this as a cue to speak. To be honest he wasn't entirely sure what to say, he glanced at Flash whose face was a pale as a sheet.

All eyes were on him when he started to sign his response. 'Sorry, Mr. Stark. Everyone wanted to say hi. Hope you don't mind.' There was a small pause as everyone's eyes widened further at Peter's words being translated through the phone by a woman in an Irish accent. 'This is Ned, he's my best friend,' Peter signed motioning to Ned. 'Then MJ is over there, she's also a good friend of mine.' Ned was to speechless to respond but MJ just gave her head nod when Flash put the camera on her and said "sup."

Peter stood up then proceeded to introduce the rest of the bus to Mr. Stark, who was surprisingly ok with the event. When all was done Mr. Stark spoke up again.

"Well, it was nice meeting you all and good luck with the nationals, but I should get going. Got blueprints to design and prototypes to blow up, you know the drill. See you when you get back Pete," Mr. Stark gave a small wave as everyone said their thanks for the luck and goodbyes before he hung up.

Flash, still in shock from the incident, didn't give Peter's phone back right away. MJ had to snatch the device out of the bullies hands before giving it back to Peter who thanked her with a small nod.

"That was awesome! We got to speak to Iron Man!" Ned was the first to break the still silence that followed the call. "I told you Peter wasn't a liar!"

Flash's shocked expression turned into a frustrated one as he moved to the back of the bus to sulk.

The buss buzzed with conversations about Iron Man before Liz was the one bring everyone back to practicing for the decathlon. Flash was quiet for the rest of the trip.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I don't know if you guys noticed but Abe is like my second favorite character in Homecoming (Peter, of course, being the first) but I really wish he got more screen time.
> 
> Haven't updated my movie count in awhile but I've been keeping track. So far I've seen Spider-Man Homecoming 32 times.  
> ... I can't tell if that's an accomplishment or not XD
> 
> But anyways, I'm glad to see so many of you liking this fic, things are starting to get a little serious in the plot so I hope you guys are ready! And like always I love to see you're comments and thoughts, so don't forget to leave them!


	11. Chapter 11

Looking around the large hotel the school booked for them, had left most of the students in awe. The large layout of the main entrance along with the booths and banners set out for the academic decathlon was nothing Peter had ever seen before. 

Their rooms were clustered together on the 5th floor with Peter and Ned sharing a room. 

“Why are we removing a tracker from your suit?” Ned asked as he typed on his computer. Lines of code scattered the screen. 

‘Because I have to follow these guys to their boss before they move again, but I don’t want Mr. Stark to know about it,’ Peter signed before going back to work on the suit. 

“So… your lying to Iron Man now?”

‘No, not lying… he just doesn’t get what I can do yet,’ Peter looked back at the Spider-Man suit. A part of him felt really guilty about tampering with the suit and disobeying Mr. Stark but another part was determined to show the man that he was capable of being a hero. 

He slowly pulled the tracker off after Ned did his work before placing it on the hotel lamp, he’d need to put it back once he finished his mission. 

“You know there’s a ton of other subsystems in here but they’re all disabled by the… training wheels protocol.” Ned gave a small laugh. Of course Mr. Stark would give something a name like that. 

Peter just rolled his eyes. ‘Turn it off’

“I really don’t think we should, it’s blocked for a reason.”

‘I don’t need training wheels, I’m sick of being treated like a kid all the time,’ Peter huffed in annoyance. 

“Peter, you are a kid,” Ned protested. 

‘A kid who can stop a buss with his bear hands!’ He signed quickly. 

“I don’t know, what if this is illegal?” Ned said nervously. 

‘Come on, please.’

“I really don’t think we should do this..”

‘I can handle it I swear… you’re the only one that can, you’re my guy in the chair.’

“Don’t do that,” Ned said almost desperately. After a moment of starring from Peter, he gave in, disabling the training wheels protocols. 

‘Thank you so much,’ Peter said as he waited for the code to kick in. After Ned said it was done, Peter took the suit and changed into it. He hid it under sweats and an hoodie. 

‘The glowing thing, it’s evidence. Keep it safe ok?’ Peter signed to Ned. Ned just nodded as Peter closed the door. 

“Peter!” Liz said in a loud whisper. Peter whirled around to face her. He was a little confused to see her in a swimsuit, soon the others in their group passed her with giddy expressions and swimwear. Except for Flash, he scowled at Peter before shoulder checking him. 

Peter pulled out his phone. 

<What’s going on?>

“We’re going swimming, I heard in a TED talk that a little rebellious activity is good before competition, you’re just in time, come on,” she waved for him to follow. 

<I can’t I was going to the business center to study.> Peter pointed in a off handed direction. 

“Peter you’re like the smartest guy I know, you don’t need to study, now come on,” she tossed a candy bar at him, which he caught. She smiled at him before running off the meet with the others. 

Peter just watched for a moment, he could so easily join Liz and the others but that would involve ignoring what he needed to do as Spider-Man. He let out a small sigh as he went the opposite direction. 

* * *

 

Standing on the roof of the hotel, Peter pulled on his mask. He jumped when the female voice greeted him. 

<Hello, Peter. I’m glad you finished your training program and activated your suits full capabilities.>

“Hello?” Peter had his translator turned on and his surprise was clearly heard in the artificial voice. 

<Where would you like to take me tonight?> The AI asked.

“I put a tracker on someone, he’s a bad guy.” Peter replied.

<Tracker located, plotting course.>

The location on the HUD was a lot further than he thought. “Well, as long as I get back in time for decathlon, it should be fine, right?” Peter said to the AI, but it was mostly to reassure himself.

After hitching a ride on two trucks, a large van, and a semi truck with a load of cars, Peter jumped into a line of bushes for cover after the comment from the suit lady. 

He climbed up an old gas station sign. He spotted a white van parked behind a cluster of trees. “Is this really their hideout? Kinda lame, maybe it’s a heist… I wish I could hear what they're saying.”

<Would you like to?>

“Can you do that?” He asked surprised.

<Of course, activating enhanced reconisons mode.>

_ “Target inbound,”  _ said one of the men in the van. 

Peter jupped, sending a web line to the roof of the gas station. Except instead of a line it was a rapid fire of web fluid causing him to fall to the ground.

“Suit lady what was that?!”

<You jumped off a sign and landed on your face.>

“What happened to my web shooters?!”

<I assumed you were attacking, rapid fire is default for enhanced combat mode.>

“Why would I need that?”

<Would you like to see more options?> The AI showed him hundreds of different web shooter combination. 

Peter was overwhelmed by the options, Mr. Stark really overdid himself, but unfortunately this was neither the time nor place for it. “Just chose what you think is appropriate,” Peter signed quickly before climbing up onto the gas station roof. Over head he heard the familiar whirr of the flight suit that dropped him into the lake, at the same time he spotted the trail of trucks that was probably the target. The vulture, as Peter remembered Mr. Stark calling him, landed on the last truck. Peter quickly jumped from the roof to the sign bairly catching the back of the truck as it passed. 

Climbing on the roof of the truck he saw the strange purple portal that lead into the inside. He had to give the bad guys credit, they had some pretty nifty gadgets.

Noticing the guy move as he prepared to leave, Peter hid towards the front of the truck. When the man jumped out Peter snatched the bag full of stolen things away from him. 

“Hey, big bird!” He signed with one hand, he was glad the suit picked up his want to raise his voice. “This doesn't belong to you!”

The man quickly turned around, the glowing green eyes on his mask added a frightening nature to the already creepy outfit. He suddenly jumped up attaching to the wings that were left hovering above, before detaching the anchors. He swooped over attempting to grab the bag.

Peter was two quick as he dodged then shot a string of webbing at the villan. Except this time it split, missing the man entirely.

“Suit lady what was that!” He said almost panicked as he dodged the sharp blades of the Vulture's wings. His spidey sense on high alert as he used it to judge his movements.

<You told me to chose, I thought you’d shoot higher.> She responded quickly.

“Just send everything back to normal,” Peter managed to say before the Vultur grabbed the bag trying to tug if from Peter’s grasp. The man suddenly let go causing Peter to fall back from the momentum, he fell through the purple portal and hit the floor of the storage container with a loud thud. 

He was about to immediately jump back through the entrance.

_ Impending head trauma. _

Peter froze and with a quick look up noticed the portal had disappeared. “Suit lady how do I get out of here?” He asked quickly. 

<The only exit is through the back container doors, but braking them will notify the guards transporting the items.>

“Damn, if I try that, they could end up getting hurt while the bad guys try to escape,” he looked over and noticed the bag of stolen items that fell in with him. “At least they didn’t get anything.”

<I suggest waiting 20 to 30 minutes to assure the coast is clear.>

Peter let out a heavy breath as he let himself fall to the floor in a seated position. “Maybe a breather won’t be to bad.”

A minute passed before Peter broke the silence. “I kinda feel bad just calling you suit lady. Do you have a name?” He asked as he leaned against on of the cage baskets.

<I have not been assigned one.>

“Ok, well, what about-” he paused mid sentence thinking. “Liz? No, wait, no that’s weird…” he trailed off again. “How about Karen?”

<You can call me Karen if you’d like.>

“Cool,” Peter nodded. “So what else can this suit do?” Peter asked after another moment. A set of thin fabric structures popped out from his side. “Sweet are these gliders?”

<Affirmative.>

The easily bored teen started shifting through the different web shooter combinations. He’d occasionally ask questions before Karen spoke up.

<You seem to be very unfamiliar with your web shooters, would you like to run a refresher course?>

“Can we do that in here?” 

<It may be tight, but I don’t see why not.> The AI insisted.

Minutes passed as Peter learned of the different webs, when they finished Karen gave the all clear to break out of the container, and just as predicted, the guards noticed.

He was able to escape to a passing truck carrying large drainage pipes. He peaked out as he watched the trailers grint to a halt to investigate. The sight shrank away as he was driven back to the city.

“That was close,” Peter signed.

<This truck seems to be taking a direct path to the city, we shouldn’t have to move vehicles for awhile.>

Peter nodded before leaning back against the pipe he hid in, he glanced out at the passing scenery. The guilty thought of Mr. Stark disapproving of his actions came to mind. His gaze fell to his feet as his mind wandered and not to vary pleasant places.

After the third attempt at trying to catch these guys he’s failed. Mr. Stark always made it look easy catching bad guys as Iron Man, was Peter just not good enough to be a hero?

The words Aunt May had him constantly write on the wall echoed in his mind.

**I am worthless.**

**I am nothing.**

Peter wondered if May was right, he could never do anything right. He tried to bring his grade up, but his English class still holds a B. He tried getting home on time, but failed at the simple request. He tried stopping a bad guy, but instead let them get away… for the third time. 

It was only a matter of time before Mr. Stark realize how worthless he was. He could picture the the man looking at Peter disgusted.

_ “I should have known you weren't worth it, give me my suit back, you obviously can’t use it. You worthless kid.” _

May was right, he was nothing. 

She could have left him to die in that fire, but she saved him, he just had to follow one request, even that he was starting to fail. 

The memory flooded his mind.

_ “Peter, darling.” _

_ May stood in the doorway of the burning apartment. Her eyes dark, almost emotionless. _

_ “Let me save your life, but you have to promise me one thing.”  _

_ Peter stood there, clutching a small stuffed animal. The rising smoke burnt his lungs. _

_ “You can’t say anything to anyone,” she continued.  _

_ Peter’s eyes were wet with tears despite the intense heat around him, he looked back at Ben who laid on the floor.  _

_ He was scared. _

_ Scared of her, scared of dying, scared of the flames that grew closer around him. The idea of death was not something a 6 year old should be facing, but here he was. _

_ “Peter, darling,” she said again. _

_ Peter quickly looked back at her. He decided that it didn’t matter how much he was scared of her, death was a lot scarier. _

_ Sniffing he reached a hand up to wipe his soot covered face as he nodded. She smiled, but her eyes remained emotionless. _

_ She’d save him, at one request. _

_ One that constantly occupied his mind. _

**_You can’t say anything to anyone._ **

 

<I’m indicating elevated stress levels.> Karen said.

Peter jumped awake, he didn’t even remember closing his eyes.

<Is everything alright?>

“Yeah, just... a dream,” he replied. He couldn’t tell if his hands shook from the abrupt awakening or the the memory. Peter didn’t think much of it as he clenched his fists.

* * *

 

Peter was able to get back to the hotel room before sunrise, though he didn’t get any sleep after dozing off in the drainage pipe, but he didn’t really want to, not after the memory.

This left him groggy as he met the rest of the decathlon team down at breakfast. He wore his suit hidden just under his normal clothes, making sure to put the tracker back before hand. He wasn’t prepared to deal with how unprepared he usually felt without it, no today at least. To much was going on and he was already in an off mood, the only one who noticed was Ned. 

“Peter, you alright?” he asked quietly as they sat down at a secluded table.

‘Of course, I’m fine,’ Peter signed, putting on his best fake smile. It took him years to perfect that mask, but he knew Ned wasn’t just going to take that for an answer so he continued. ‘The bad guys were doing a heist. Stopped them from stealing anything, but they still got away.’

“That’s a major bummer,” Ned said. Peter was glad he took the excuse. 

Breakfast went on and Mr. Harrington soon called for everyone's attention then gave a pep talk before they all headed to the nationals. 

The questions were challenging, but nothing Peter and his team couldn’t handle. There were some complications in the beginning with Peter being allowed a whiteboard, but after the miscommunication was solved everything ran smoothly.

The finale question lay in the hands of MJ who had beat Peter to the buzzer. He’d known the answer to be zero and had no doubt that MJ knew the same, but still, with their win resting on this answer he watched in anticipation just like everyone else. It was almost exhilarating to hear their school name announced as the winner and be handed the large trophy. It didn’t surprise anyone that Flash insisted on holding it.

After the decathlon they all took a trip to the Washington Monument. He wasn’t too keen on holding up the proverbial mask so instead he donned a real one as he slipped away from the group to find a secluded area. 

That was easier said than done, with DC being a tourist hotspot. Every street was crowded but Peter managed. After putting his outer clothes safely in a bag, he perched on one of the tall business buildings that stood in view of the Washington Monument. The thing was taller than he thought it was, but seeing it contrast against the blue sky was a nice view to observe, that was until his spidey sense spiked down his spine in a sense of dread.

_ Friend in danger. _

Purple lights shot into the sky from the monument, he could see the cracks in the white stone from where he stood, but he didn’t look for long. He immediately bolted towards the monument. Mostly running, but swinging when he could, his only thoughts were Ned and MJ.

Getting there he spotted MJ on the ground looking up at the structure, glad to see she was safe.

“Karen what’s going on!”

<It seems a Chitauri energy core has detonated.>

“My friends are up there!” She said quickly looking at spider man.

“What?!” Peter said looking to her. “Uh, don’t worry ma’am everything is going to be ok.” He noticed how she glanced down at his hands and narrowed her eyes when she returned her gaze to his face. Peter didn’t wait for a response, he ran up to the monument and immediately started to scale the structure.

“Status,” Peter managed to sign.

<Safety systems are completely failing>

<The occupants are in imminent mortal danger.>

If Peter thought the building was tall before that was nothing compared to how he felt now since climbing it was the only way to save his friends life.

<Unexpected motion has caused the deterioration to escalate.>

Peter’s heart pounded as he pushed himself further. “How do I get in there,” he asked quickly.

<Activating reconisons drone.>

Peter would have thought the drone was pretty cool, if it weren't for the fact his friend’s like currently hung in the balance. His spidey senses jolted down his spine in a painful manor just as Karen’s sensors informed him the deterioration escalated further.

<Proceed to south-west window.>

Peter didn’t give a second thought as he followed the orders. Nothing mattered but getting inside. 

Not even the fact that one bad slip and he would be plummeting to the ground, his life especially didn’t matter. After years of fearing death he’s accepted it, but he'll never accept the idea of losing one of the few friends he’s ever made. 

Getting to the window he positioned himself in the optimal position to punch it. The thing cracked as he brought his fist down, it was painful and he probably fractured something but he didn’t matter, Ned was more important.

<Peter, that’s four inch ballistic glass, you’ll have to create more momentum.>

Peter shot a web up at the bricks just above it as he got into position to swing into it at full force.

<Another support has failed.> The AI informed. 

“I’m trying!” Peter signed, his artificial voice picking up his panic.

After his third attempt of breaking the glass a police helicopter approaching him giving a warning. 

Peter glanced at it, equations ran in his head as he calculated if it would give him the needed force. With the already weakened integrity of the ballistic glass, it would be more than enough.

Peter climbed to the very top of the monument before launching himself into the air as he glided over the blades of the helicopter but the moment he was free if it he used a string of web to redirect his momentum to curve around landing directly on the glass, he busted through and skidded across the floor just as he watched the elevator lose its last support.

With the shear force of adrenaline running through him, as well as a portion of good luck, he was able to pull the elevation up to safety, his webs only failing at the last moment when everyone was safe.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This one was pretty fun to write, sorry I didn't get it out last week but I accidentally screwed up my scheduled.


	12. Chapter 12

It was late in the evening when the bus got back to Queens, everyone was tired and a little shell shocked, but Peter was glad at least no one got hurt.

Parents were nervously awaiting the arrival of their children and the moment they stepped out of the bus parents and students alike ran towards each other giving relieved hugs.

And of course, May was there, the last person Peter wanted to see at the moment, but it was inevitable anyway. She ran towards him as fast as she could manage in heels before hugging him tightly.

Unfortunately, Peter would get no comfort from the gesture. From the painful spike of his spidey sense and the fact it was only for show, the hug felt empty and Peter only felt worse for it.

He knew it was fake, and once he was in the passenger seat of her car, she made sure he knew so not to confuse her actions with real caring. Peter learned the hard way to to make that mistake. 

“You’re disgusting, when was the last time you had a shower?” She was already pulling out of the school parking lot when she spoke.

Peter didn’t answer but his spidey sense spiked, then he was met with a smack on the back of the head.

‘Day before yesterday,’ Peter signed. 

In his defense, he was a little busy stopping bad guys and saving friends to be worrying about a shower, but now he’s really wishing he did. 

“That’s repulsive,” She practically snarled as she gave him side glances. “How inconsiderate are you, you probably knew I’d have to touch you when you got back and you did it on purpose!” She spat.

‘I’m sorry,’ he signed, that was the only thing that probably wouldn’t get him a smack to the head.

His spidey sense flared up again, he was smacked in the head a little harder this time. Guess he would’ve been hit either way.

“You’re damn right your sorry! You’re taking a shower when you get home.”

Peter was suddenly filled with dread.

When they got back to the apartment, May had him climb up the eight flights of stairs while she took the elevator. With the inhuman amount of stamina the stairs really didn’t take much effort, but the fact that he’s been running on little to no sleep followed by an emotionally stressful day, it only added to his mental exhaustion. 

She was sitting in her usual spot on the couch, watching the remainder of her show when he finally walked through the door. He went to his room to grab fresh clothes before stepping into the bathroom.

He set his clothes on the sink before closing the curtain across the bathtub/shower. When he turned it on he didn’t bother with the hot water, May somehow turned it off. Peter could never figure out how exactly but she knew how to turn off the hot water to their apartment. Since there wasn’t a valve control in the apartment itself (Peter had spent weeks looking, so he was positive about that) she must tell the landlord to do it.

It was almost funny the lengths she would go to to make him suffer… at least it would be, if he wasn’t suffering. 

The moment the water turned on, he felt the bathroom drop a few degrees.

He did have a choice, but the alternative of taking a cold shower would be spending the night in the closet. Peter really wanted to sleep in a bed tonight, so freezing shower it was.

It goes without saying, but the shower was extremely unpleasant. The icy water against his sore muscles and bruises didn’t help the experience, but at least it sorta blocks out his active spidey sense. He just had to focus on the cold hitting his back, instead of the spike of warning running down his spine.

With his teeth chattering and body shivering after he got out, he quickly dried himself off before pulling on warm clothes. He still shivered slightly but it wasn’t nearly as much as he would have before the bite, his body recovered quickly from the cold more than it used to.

Peter quietly got back to his room before slowly closing the door, the tension in his shoulders dropped slightly as Peter curled up under the blankets of his bed. His shivers were gone but his skin was still chilled, he huddled as he attempted to sleep. It was easier then he thought it would be.

* * *

 

Spider-Spirit was present all throughout Midtown High. It was strange to see himself in the suit shown in blurry pictures on the school tvs. It put him in the same league as Bigfoot as well as the blurry awesomeness that was the Avengers before better photos and videos were available.

Peter couldn’t believe it really, the recognition and praise was odd, but at the same time it felt right. Like he was finally doing something good that people appreciated.

He didn’t even care that nobody knew it was him, though, Ned seemed to have different ideas. He really wanted to tell everyone, but he didn’t quite realize the problem with that.

Peter did. 

He’d seen what the Mandarin did when he found out where Mr. Stark lived, or how Dr. Banner was forced on the run after gaining the ability to turn into the Hulk. If their identities were a secret then they wouldn’t be having nearly as many problems… Peter does know that each have a number of reasons why they couldn’t keep their identities a secret but Peter still stands by his point. 

He’s better off with his mask on, it’s the only way he can keep his friends safe and live a normal life. Well, as normal as he tries to make it.

Speaking of keeping his friends safe, it’s not exactly easy when someone is handing high tech weapons out to every goon on the street.

So, despite Ned’s disapproval, Peter is going to have to skip his Spanish quiz today.

Or at least he tried…

Just as he turned the corner of the stairs, that were blocking his view from the exit, he was meet with the principal. Technically, he wasn’t a threat, the man had no evil intentions and of course had no wish to physically harm Peter, so his spidey senses didn’t even give him a warning.

Long story short he had to take the Spanish quiz, with an added bonus of after school detention.

Fantastic, just what Peter needed.

It was weird to see MJ there, thought.

Knowing that the teacher might notice if his phone started talking, Peter took out a piece of paper to write his words.

_ ‘You have detention to?’ _ Peter asked.

_ ‘No, I like to sketch people in crisis. This place is a gold mine,’ _ She replied. After handing back the paper she held up her notebook to show a partly finished sketch of the teacher in charge.

Peter gave a silent laugh at the picture, it was a surprisingly accurate portrayal of the gym teacher.

Before Peter could write a response MJ snatched the paper to write something else.

_ ‘Why’d you get detention?’ _ She asked.

_ ‘Tried to skip a Spanish quiz,’ _ Peter gave the paper back and when MJ looked up at him after reading, he just gave a shrug. She then gave the paper back.

_ ‘We both know you would’ve aced it, why’d you try skipping?’ _

Peter couldn’t tell her the truth so he replied with,  _ ‘Don’t know, just felt off today after what happened in DC. Didn’t want to deal with it.’ _

She gave a skeptical look towards Peter before she wrote a response. When Peter got the paper back he froze as he read her words.

_ ‘Thought you weren't a liar…’ _ Just under it was a simple sketch of a spider.

When Peter looked up with wide eyes, MJ just stared at him with a smug grin.

“You can skip this if you need to, but you’ll need to explain later,” MJ said casually, as if she didn’t just get confirmation that Peter was Spider-Man.

Peter glanced at the paper again before looking back up at MJ. He gave a thankful smile before quickly getting up to leave the room.

“Hey, where you going? Get back here,” The gym teacher said with very little authority in his voice. The protests were easy to ignore.

* * *

 

 

Now fully suited up, Peter stood upside down from an exposed steel beam in an abandon construction sight. 

‘Hey, Karen, what’s up?’ Peter signed. He decided to keep his voice transmitter off.

<Hey, Peter, how was your Spanish quiz?> The AI greeted happily.

‘Good,’ Peter nodded. ‘Listen, I was wondering if you could help me. I’m trying to figure out who the guys from the alley were that first night I ran into the weapon dealers, but I can only remember part of a license plate,’ Peter paced across the steel beam as he signed.

<I could run facial recognition on the footage that was recorded.> Karen suggested.

‘Footage?’ Peter asked.

<Yes, Peter, I record everything you see.> She sounded oddly cheerful at the fact. 

‘Everything?’ He was getting a little nervous.

<Everything.> Karen replied. 

‘All the time?’ He thought back to when he spoke, he was really hoping Mr. Stark would never see that. Though, wouldn’t he have mentioned it by now if he did?

<It’s called the baby monitor protocol.> The HUD lit up with a number of files with dates. He spotted a few moments where he was pretending to be a number of different Avengers, going as far as adjusting the voice transmitter to sound like each Avenger but failed to get their exact likeness ending up with horrible parodies. 

Mr. Stark didn’t exactly make it easy to change the voice, he was only able to manage light changes in pitch. 

Peter jumped from the beam landing on a stack of cinder blocks so he could sit down, one leg hanging over while the other was tucked under him. ‘Yeah, of course it is,’ Peter rolled his eyes at the name, ‘just roll the footage from then.’

Karen did as commanded and the sight of the two dealers with the buyer showed up. 

<There’s no record of the buyers in the criminal database.> Karen almost sounded regretful. <But I found a match for the buyer. Aaron Davis, age 33. He has a criminal record and an address here in Queens.>

As she spoke the information of Aaron Davis showed over the HUD, Peter glanced through it. Nothing really caught his eyes except for the fact that he was also known as Prowler, kind of a weird name but Peter couldn’t really judge since he goes by Spider-Man.

“How about we pay him a visit,” Peter signed after turning on the voice transmitter. 

<Would you like me to activate the enhanced interrogation mode?> The AI asked.

“Yeah, sounds cool,” Peter shrugged, before taking a running leap into the streets. He shot a web out and started swinging to the area Aaron lived in.

* * *

 

Aaron walked back to his car with a bag full of groceries. His day wasn’t the greatest but at least it couldn’t get worse.

He fumbled with his keys before he got his trunk open, placing his bag inside he was just about to close the door when he heard a ‘thwip’ as something stick his hand to the trunk. He was a little confused at first but seeing the webbing he quickly looked up to see Spider-Man himself marching towards him.

“Remember me?!” Spider-Man asked in a terrifyingly deep voice.

“Whoa, hey!” Aaron said defensively as he put out a hand, he’d seen what this guy can do and its freaky enough to keep him from going back to crime. Things are getting to crazy on the streets for his liking.

“I need information and you going to give it to me now!”

“Alright, just chill,” Aaron said quickly. He couldn’t help but glance at Spider-Man’s hands noticing how they were moving with when he spoke, it almost looked like shortened ASL.

“Come on!” Spider-Man insisted.

“What, what are you doing with your hands?” Aaron asked curiously, all urgency in his voice was gone.

“What do you mean?” Spider-man said defensively, Aaron watched his hands moved, vaguely picking up the words that meant what he was saying.

“My sister is deaf,” Aaron admitted, “I know ASL when I see it… are you mute?” He asked carefully, but there was a bit of wonder and surprise in his tone.

Spider-Man just looked at Aaron for a moment, his face unreadable behind the mask. Finally he let out a defeated sigh, “Deactivate interrogation mode,” he didn’t even bother hiding his hand movements now. “Yeah, something like that,” Spider-Man signed he looked away from Aaron.

His voice was much higher now, the obviously artificial deepening of his it was gone but there was still something about it that was simulated. It troubled Aaron a little bit to realize the voice sounded like a kid, and getting a good view of Spider-Man now, he probably was one.

“Look, just tell me who’s selling the weapons,” Spider-Man sighed quickly. “I need to know just give me names, or else!” He was marginally less threatening with the new realization, though, he still probably wouldn’t have been if Aaron didn’t interrupt. It was obvious the kid didn’t know how to interrogate someone.

Aaron slammed his car’s trunk down causing the noise to echo through the empty parking garage, Spider-Man jumped back in surprise. “You ain’t never done this before, huh, kid?”

Spider-Man slumped his shoulders in defeat, “Look, these guys are selling weapons that are crazy dangerous, they can’t just be out on the streets!” he signed. There was a pause of silence between them, “Come on, man, please.”

After another long silence of Aaron not answering, Spider-man just shook his head in defeat as he turned walking away.

“I don’t want those weapons in this neighborhood, I’ve got a nephew who lives here. If you really think you can take them down, I’ll talk,” Aaron finally said.

Spider-Man turned back around before asking, “Who are these guys? What can you tell me about the guy with the wings?”

“Other then he’s a psychopath dressed like a demon, nothing. I don’t know who he is or where he is.” 

Spider-Man leaned against the side of his car with a faint sigh.

“... but I do know where he’s gonna be,” Aaron offered.

* * *

 

Stark got into the car and pulled the door shut. 

“I hope you got me a present, Happy,” Stark looked up at his driver expectantly.

Happy looked back at Tony with a worried expression, “Boss, I don’t know why you had me sneak into a mental hospital to get these, but here they are,” he tossed a file on the back seat.

Stark looked from Happy to the file before picking them up. The tab on the side read  _ May Reilly,  _ the file and papers within it were crinkled and warped with water damage. Through the years they must have not been stored properly, which hardly surprise him. 

Opening it up he found the picture of May Parker from her early teenage years. She stared at the camera with dark eyes as a blank expression, the vintage aspect of the photo added an creepy aura to the scenes.

Stark ignored it as he read through the information.

_ May Reilly, age 13 _

_ Was found outside her home just after it had burnt down, the remains of her parents and older brother were found dead at the sight. Firemen say that just before the fire there was a CO2 leak causing the three to lose consciousness, Mr. Reilly seemed to have been cooking dinner at the time. When he lost consciousness it caused a roll of paper towels to fall onto the stove causing the fire, the only survivor being May Reilly, who was at a friends house at the time the fire started. _

It was a portion of the police report that Stark couldn’t get digitally and the records of it at the station were “misfiled” or “could not be located.” Which really meant they lost them. 

Or someone got rid of them. 

He flipped the page continuing on to the doctors notes.

_ Psychiatrist: Doctor Kara Williams _

_ Subject: May Reilly, age 13 _

_ She seems to be a normal child who is still recovering from the loss of her family, but she exhibits certain behaviors that are quite peculiar.  _

_ The social workers have noted that she has a complete disregard to the other children’s well-being. On numerous occasions her actions have directly and indirectly caused harm or discomfort to the other children.  _

_ One of these occasions include an incident in a stairwell. Miss Reilly and another child were found in the orphanage stairwell after the staff heard pained screaming. The other child seemed to have fallen (or was pushed) down the stairs and received a broken arm. Miss Reilly was found giggling as she left the scene, the other child claimed to have fallen but had been wary of Miss Reilly since.  _

The file continues noting other suspicious incidents involving May but they could never get proof that she was responsible for anything.

Reading further Dr. Williams stated that the police didn’t do a full investigation of the family’s death, so she decided to do some questioning of a few people that were looked over. Most of the interviews didn’t yield anything new but she did note that May was picked up by her mother earlier that day according to the family she was spending the day with, so she should have been there the time of the fire. 

Eventually Dr. Williams’ notes stopped suddenly and the case was taken up by another. 

The new doctor stated that she did exhibit abnormal behaviors but they were caused by grief hand have since been resolved.

May was then adopted by another family and her case was permanently closed after that. 

Stark sighed in frustration. The conclusion of her case was suddenly and the whole thing was suspicious, but she was already suspicious, he was hoping to find something a little more convicting. 

Happy started the drive without another word and Stark shifted through every single paper trying to find… something, anything really. He was hoping to use the information in this to get Peter to trust him. 

Because let’s face it, Peter’s been stuck with May Parker for ten years. Chances are he’s tried reaching out before, and he’s pretty sure that the sly Aunt May weaseled her way out of the situation maybe even stacking it against Peter in the process. After a number of times anyone would give up, even the unreasonably strong willed Peter. Which is a heartbreaking thought. 

Thinking about it now, Stark was probably the last person Peter might ask to help. If Peter spoke up and it backfired (which it wouldn’t, but Peter doesn’t know that) he’d lose more than just the trust of another adult. He’d probably think he’d lose a place on at the Avengers. 

Stark let out a sigh, he was about to give up on that lead completely, until he noticed two pages stuck together. Carefully peeling them apart, since the pages were brittle from the water damage, the hidden page revealed to be the final notes of Dr. Williams. 

_ After much study and investigation I have come to the conclusion that May Reilly exhibits many of the early signs of Antisocial Personality Disorder, APD, but also referred to as ASPD.  _

_ Seeing as the disorder is still needing more research, my superiors refuse to believe a child should be diagnosed with such a disorder. _

“Dammit, she’s a literal psychopath,” Stark said a little surprised. It was enough proof for him to justify his suspicions, it might even be enough to tell Peter but not scare the poor kid away.  

“Boss?” Happy said looking back.

Stark didn’t answer, he just pulled out his phone immediately calling Peter. He didn’t need to hear from the kid he just needed the kid to listen. The phone answered quicker than he expected.

“Peter, you got a sec, look I-”

“I’m a little busy right now, can I call you back?” Peter said quickly, he sounded rushed.

Stark frowned, he didn’t expect Peter to be in the suit, but that made things a little easier since they could talk. The only problem now was he didn’t exactly know how to start it.

“I just want to say that I’ve been looking into-”

“Mr. Stark, I can’t really talk right now,” Peter’s artificial voice spoke quickly. Suddenly there was a loud horn in the background.

“What was that?” Stark said suspicious, because that sounded a lot like the a boat, and of course it would be just Peter’s luck to be staking out a weapon deal that the FBI also had an eye on, which also happens to be on the a ferry. 

“It’s the school bell?” Peter said unconvincingly, before Stark could even respond Peter spoke again, “Sorry I got to go! There’s a thing!”

Then Peter hung up.

“Hey!-” Stark cursed to himself after Peter cut him off. 

If Peter was at that weapons deal, he’s going to ruin it for the FBI or worse, get shot by the FBI. “Happy stop the car,” the driver compiled immediately and Stark was out the door with a suit of armor already forming around him.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Things have officially kicked off in the war against aunt May.


	13. Chapter 13

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> The chapter you've all been dreading!

When Stark received radiation reading indicating an alien bomb went off, he feared for the worsted. As he approached the smoking ferry he was relieved to see it mostly intact with a cut clean down the middle, but his worries still remained as FRIDAY told him she couldn’t locate Peter’s tracker.

Either he was dead, or the kid hacked his suit.

He had never been so happy to find out someone hacked his tech.

Unfortunately, he couldn’t feel the relief or anger of seeing Peter alive but finding out he did something he was specifically told not to. He had to save the boat of people that Peter unintentionally put in danger.

It wasn’t till two hours of dealing with the mess that he was able to talk with Peter. Finding him on a roof just a few blocks away was easy this time since Peter turned the tracker back on.

“Previously on Peter screws the pooch, I told you to stay away from this, but instead you hacked a multimillion-dollar suit so you could sneak around behind my back doing the one thing I told you not to do!” Despite his better judgment, his anger was his current driving emotion, but only because he didn’t want to admit the fear of what almost losing Peter felt like.

“Is everyone alright?” Peter signed, his voice transmitter was emotionless since he’d taken his mask off.

“No thanks to you,” Tony snapped back. Of course Peter’s first concern was the others on the boat, Tony was hating his unfiltered thoughts. He was well aware that was not what Peter needed to hear right now.

“No thanks to me?” Peter slid off the ledge he was sitting on as he walked over to where Stark hovered just feet above the catwalk. “Those weapons were out there and I tried to tell you about it but you didn’t listen. No ever one listens to me. None of this would’ve happened if you had just listened to me,” Stark didn’t need the voice transmitters simulated emotions to see the anger and frustration on Peter was feeling.

Peter let out a frustrated huff of air, “If you even cared you’d actually be here.”

Of course Stark cared, and that was one of Stark’s problems, he probably cared too much sometimes but not now, not when it concerned Peter. He could never care to much.

The Iron Man suit opened immediately and Stark stepped out.

Peter looked shocked and confused with a slight hint of disbelief, but he quickly recomposed himself with a lesser version of his usual poker face.

“I do care, Peter. Who do you think called the FBI? Huh? And I did listen to you! I heard you speak, Peter! What do you know, huh? What did May do to you to make you hold this vow of silence!” Stark only realized what he said when the words left his mouth, this was not how he wanted to approach Peter about this. He immediately regretted it when he watched Peter completely tense up and go wide eyed.

He looked like a tortured animal backed up into a corner, Stark cured at himself to making Peter react like that.

Peter’s entire body was tense and he looked like he would bolt any second.

“Peter…” Stark said in a calmer voice, he needed to recover this situation, but the odds weren't looking to good, especially when Peter flinched at his name.

“That is none of your business,” he signed. His breathing quickened and Stark watched as his body twitched in preparation to run.

“Peter wait!- Shit,” Peter had shot webbing towards Stark pinning his hand to the nearby wall.

It took him only a minute to get out of it with his suit’s equipment but even that was to long.

Jumping back into his suit he tried to follow Peter, but finding the suit’s tracker ripped from the reinforced fabric of the suit laying on a nearby roof, was a clear enough message that Peter didn’t want to be followed.

He screwed up, he really screwed up.

It wasn’t till later that night when he found a paper bag with the rest of the suit that he realized just how much.

* * *

 

_He knows! Fuck, he knows!_

The only thoughts running through his head were that and now to get as far way from Tony Stark as fast as he could.

If may found out that Mr. Stark _knew_ and that he actually talked _,_ she might go through with her threats on hurting his friends.

Peter could deal with his problems on his own, he didn’t need Mr. Stark helping him with May, it was fine.

_Everything was fine!_

Probably the biggest lie Peter had ever told himself, but he had to think like that now. The idea of turning back right now and telling Mr. Stark everything was to strong.

… but he had to think of his friends. He couldn’t let his selfishness lead to their harm.

That evening it almost physically pained him to get rid of the suit, that was the closest thing to a voice he’s ever had, but he had to. Who knows what other devices were in there to watch him, he couldn’t risk it anymore.

It was heartbreaking to walk away from all that, he knew what leaving that suit meant, and it wasn’t just about leaving his almost voice. He was quitting the internship, and even the potential to be on the Avengers.

He just hopped Mr. Stark knew what it meant.

Peter wasn’t confident in his strength to turn that all down for a second time.

Getting back to his apartment building Peter didn’t even realize his subconscious lead him to walk up the eight flights of stairs. It was probably better though, he didn’t deserve the elevator.

As he thought further, he didn’t even deserve the suit. He’s pretty sure after the colossal failure that was today, Mr. Stark was going to take the suit anyways.

Peter let out a shaky breath as he approached the doorway to the eighth floor. He suddenly felt his legs give out and was only barely able to catch himself against the wall. He slid down the wall until he was laying on the floor with his knees tucked against his chest.

It was a sudden realization that brought on his panic attack.

_What will May do when she finds out he lost the internship?_

His chest constricted and his labored breaths weren’t helping.

It took more willpower than he was emotionally capable of to calm himself down. He couldn’t do this now, his spidey sense spiked down his spine indicating that May was home. He was supposed to be home from the internship hours ago, he couldn't waste anymore time having some stupid brake down. It will need to wait for later.

Taking a few deep breaths to recompose himself, Peter slowly stood back up before turning to walk thought the eighth floor door.

Unlocking the door and stepping into the apartment, he didn’t expect to see May leaning against the kitchen door waiting for him. “Where the hell have you been?” She napped.

‘The Stark internship,’ Peter signed.

“Funny I don’t remember it lasting so long,” She crossed his arms waiting for an answer.

Peter didn’t respond.

“Well?!”

‘I had to clean out my stuff… because I lost the internship,’ Peter avoided eye contact with her.

“Of course you did you worthless piece of shit.” Her voice was low and she was furious. “Guess I can’t make money off your worthless inventions now,” She snarled as she grabbed the collar of his shirt as she dragged him down the hall. Yanking open the closet door, she all but threw him in before slamming the door shut.

“That hardly matters anymore, I’ve got something else planned for you,” She spoke through the door. “I may have found something even you can't screw up.” With those words she left.

Peter immediately started writing on the walls, despite how tired and hungry he felt. The faster he finished the longer he can sleep.

It took him hours to line all three walls top to bottom with the three phrases. When he finished, he barely managed to put the cap on the marker before collapsing from shear mental exhaustion. He couldn’t even gather the strength to cry himself to sleep, despite desperately wanting to release his grief.

* * *

 

That next morning Peter went about his normal routine. He left the closet and felt the stiffness in his back from sleeping in the cramped position, but the warm shower was a relief.

It wasn’t till he had his bag in hand and walked to the door that he even remembered what May told him last night. The only thing reminding him was May waiting for him in the kitchen.

“You’re not going to school today,” She said plainly.

Peter just frowned, ‘why not?’

“Don’t be a smart ass, I already told you I had something else planned for you. Go pack your bag for two weeks, you’ll only need clothes… and you’re leaving your phone here.”

Peter had turned to gather what she ordered but when she said he wasn’t taking his phone, he froze. He slowly turned back to see a wicked smile pasted onto the woman’s face.

“Get going, I don’t have all day,” She smirked.

Peter swallowed nervously finding that his throat was suddenly dry.

He did what she asked and packed two weeks worth of clothes, he tried not to let the fact that he’d be losing another voice get to him, but he was still recovering from yesterday.

With the new bag be walked back into the living room where he followed Aunt May out of the apartment and into her car.

When he got in the passenger seat she tossed him an old flip phone. He looked at her with a worried expression.

“Not so fancy now is it?” She mocked, “Where you’re going you don’t need to talk.”

Peter was severely worried now, and it didn’t help that his spidey sense shot painfully down his spine setting him on edge.

Watching out the window he watched as the familiar streets of Queens turned into the unfamiliar view of Brooklyn.

Finally when the car stopped in front of a run down apartment building May spoke up, “Out.” Peter quickly opened the door now standing on the outside looking in through the opened window at May.

“I can’t believe I didn’t think of this ages ago,” She grinned to herself as she looked out at the building.

She tossed a set of keys at Peter, which he fumbled with a little to keep up the illusion of being clumsy. He looked up at her confused.

Thinking now, all he had with him was the bare minimum and nothing of May’s, not even the phone she got for him… was she kicking him out? He’d never been so hopefully for that, but the way his spidey sense still reacted he didn’t think it was that simple.

“Second floor, apartment 221.” Without another word she drove off.

Peter stood at the edge of the sidewalk looking very confused and worried. Glancing around, it was easy to tell this neighborhood wasn’t the kind you’d chose to live in.

Some of the surrounding apartment buildings looked like safety hazards, and he was sure he saw a group of gang members sneak into a nearby alleyway.

Taking a shaky breath he looked back up at the apartment he was told to go into. He was at least thankful that with may gone, his spidey sense wasn’t nearly as active, but it did give him the warning to stay cautious.

Walking up the concrete steps, Peter reached the keys out to open the wooden door that had peeling paint. There were only two keys on the ring he was given so it didn’t take him long to find the one to open the front door.

Stepping in, his nose was hit with the smell of rotting food and old wood. The reception desk had a cage on the front and the small entrance room was lit by a single flickering light that cast an unfriendly yellow to the place.

He was glad to see no one else was on the floor.

Unsurprisingly. the elevator had a large ‘Out of Order’ sign with the letters printed in a faded red. At least he only had to go to the second floor.

Taking the stairs up to the second floor hardly took any time. He soon found himself in a long hallway with a shaggy green floor and wallpaper that looks like it hasn’t been changed since the 70s.

He slowly walked down the halls as he watched the numbers on each side climb up from 201 to 221. The apartment was located on the far end of the hall where the light bulb burnt out. Causing the doors to apartments 221 and 222 to be shrouded in darkness.

He hesitated for a moment as he held the keys out, focusing on his spidey sense, he noticed how it it was calmer here than anywhere else in the building.

Peter gripped the keys in his hands as he decided to knock instead.

“Come in,” He heard a voice called. They sounded tired and aged, unlocking the door before walking in, Peter quickly found out that he voice was aged not by time, but experience.

Standing in the small dingy apartment was a man who looked barley in his thirties. He had a cane in one hand putting most of his weight on one side and eyes that looked tired. His hair was sandy and looked like it might have been bleached by the sun at some point.

The most noticeable feature about the man was despite needing a cane, he stood with his back straight and head forward that screamed ex-military.

“Fuck, they didn’t say you’d be this young,” The man looked at Peter almost apologetically. “With that deer in a headlights look, you probably don’t even know what you’re doing.”

Peter just shook his head.

The man sighed as he motioned Peter over, “Did you get a phone?”

Peter slowly walked over to the man nodding. The small table the man was standing near had a map of the surrounding area on it, “Good, you’re going to get a text on it sometime today…” There was a grid laying out on the map but the labels of the grid were written on what looked like the backs of yard sticks. It had a mix of numbers and letters in random orders along the grid points of each axes. Written in red on one yardstick was ‘B8,’ the other read ‘X2.’

“It’s going to have two sets of grid coordinates, pick up and drop off. You’re going to need to remember where each is before you leave. Other then that, you don’t ask questions, got it?” The man looked up at Peter for confirmation.

Peter swallowed. Whatever Aunt May was making him do… he’s pretty sure it’s not legal.

“Well?” The man asked shifting slightly, despite not receiving a warning from his spidey sense, Peter flinched before quickly nodding.

The man obviously noticed but didn’t comment, there was a moment of silence between them before he held out his hand, “You can call me John.”

Peter took his hand shaking it, he glanced around nervously trying to spot anything he might use to communicate. The apartment was surprisingly bare. Peter looked back at John motioning to his throat as he shook his head.

Confusion flashed over John’s face for a moment before realization struck. “Guess when they said you wouldn’t talk they meant it literally.”

Peter gave an apologetic nod.

John then patted his pockets before eventually pulling out a pen. “We don’t have any paper but at least it works on skin. What’s your name kid?”

Peter took the pen and in small print wrote on his arm.

‘Peter.’


	14. Chapter 14

“I’d say it’s nice to meet you, Peter, but I don’t think either of us want to be here,” John said with a sigh.

Peter lightly shook his head, he hardly knew what was going on, and if May wanted him here he knew it wouldn’t be good.

“Anyways,” the man looked around the apartment, “Might as well get comfortable, don’t know when they’ll need you but it could take awhile. Help yourself to what’s in the kitchen, but there’s usually not much.” John walked over to the warn little couch that set in the living room before setting down. He propped his leg up on the coffee table as he grab a remote to the old box tv to turn it on.

The image was fuzzy and flickered out every so often.

The entire apartment was fairly bare. There were no personal items anywhere or pictures on the yellowing walls, this was no home to anyone.

The kitchen counters were cluttered with newspapers and takeout boxes, strangely enough some of the papers reported on the alien attack of Manhattan, meaning that unless John had been living here since then, they were left by the previous occupant of the apartment.

Peter looked over at the overflowing trash can  before deciding to poke around the cabinets. He eventually found what he was looking for, a box of trash bags.

Ripping one of the fresh bags out seemed to draw the attention of John, “What are you doing there, kid?” He asked plainly.

Peter was ducked down behind the counter, out of view from the man. He quickly stood up holding up the trash bag.

With wide eyes, as if he were asking a question, he motioned to the clutter on the counters then made a sweeping motion with his arm towards the open trash bag.

“You… want to clean that up?” He asked with a raised eyebrow.

Peter nodded.

John just shook his head with a perplexed look in his eyes as his gaze went back to the tv, “Knock yourself out,” he said with a faint laugh.

Peter started clearing off the counters and tidying things up. It didn’t feel much different than cleaning May’s apartment, plus he didn’t want to just sit around. Didn’t want to think about the situation at the moment, cleaning was easy and mindless, he’d rather do that.

Within the hour Peter finished the kitchen, he took the now full trash bag he used to clean off the counter setting it next to the trash can as he replaced the overflowing bag in the can with a new one.

He then grabbed the two bags and got John’s attention as he tapped on the counter.

When John looked over, Peter held up the bags as he motioned his head towards the front door.

John just looked at him strangely with an eyebrow raised, “... just be quick.”

Peter nodded when he walked out the door.

It didn’t take him long to go down the stairs and find the back door that lead to the alleyway. Dumping the bags in the dumpster he walked back up to the second floor.

It wasn’t till he put his key in the door of 221 that the flip phone went off.

He pulled out the phone as he closed the door behind him.

 

**9:24AM**

**Unknown:**   **R-Z - > X-22 10:30 Blue**

 

John was sitting at the table with the map when Peter looking up from the phone. He walked over to the man as he held it out to him.

“Looks like you’re getting an easy one first time around,” He glanced back at the map as he found the same coordinates on the grid labeled by the yard sticks.

“You’ll be going to the corner of James and Crown Street, from there go down Crown and stop at Jefferson. You’ve got till 10:30 to deliver it but it’s a simple route so you shouldn’t have too much problems,” He looked up at Peter glancing him over. “And if they ask, don’t use your real name.”

Peter just nodded.

“Get back here when you’re done, you might have more than one job today.”

Peter’s heart rate picked up slightly as he grabbed a jacket from his bag. He felt a bit nervous as he turned to leave the apartment.

The walk to the pick up location was only a handful of blocks away from the apartment building. John had given him exact addresses as he left and the first one lead him to a laundromat.

John mentioned that the color was a password of sorts, but Peter wasn’t entirely sure how he was going to tell them that.

He’d have to just figure it out in the moment.

He took a breath before stepping into the laundromat, his expression was plain and it was easy to force himself to fell casual in the stressful situation, since he’s had a lot of practice with May around.

He walked up to the small counter that was near the front of the door, a woman with long black hair and a far off look stood behind it. She stared down at her phone and only looked up when Peter approached.

“Can I help you?”

Peter glanced around nervously as he looked for something he might use to talk with her, he suddenly remembered the pen he still had from John. He pulled out, then started to write on his palm.

_‘Pick up? Blue.’_

She just looked at it before glancing to the door of the building, she reached  down under the counter. She pulled out a yellow envelope sliding it over to him.

Peter didn’t take any chances, he grabbed the envelope then immediately hid it in his pocket.

He gave her a nod with a small smile before walking out the door.

It was a straight path down Crown Street to get to the other location. It was some kind of bar from what Peter could tell and when he entered his spidey sense gave off a warning.

_Caution, high risk._

“What do you want kid?” The bartender said rudely.

Peter walked over to the bar as he quickly rote on his palm. He was able to rub off the words from before during the walk over.

_‘Drop off? Blue.’_

“Hand it over then,” The man said in a lower tone.

Peter took the envelope setting it on the bar before the man quickly hid it, Peter spotted a gun hidden just under his coat as it was tucked into his belt.

“Now scram,” He growled.

Peter didn’t wait to be asked twice as he hurried out the door. He started backtracking his way to the apartment.

That wasn’t nearly as bad as he thought it would be, from the feel of the envelope and the shape of what was inside, he suspected it was money.

He received no other texts that day, and he quickly found that John was pretty lenient. Though, he made it pretty clear that he wasn’t going to be Peter’s babysitter. The only thing he was tasked to do was keep track of the coordinates on the map as well as something to do with a desktop computer in the master bedroom of the apartment.

Peter wasn’t allowed in there, but occasionally when John walked in, he could catch a glimpse of the glowing screen. He could never make out what exactly was on it.

Peter’s room was tiny, he was pretty sure it was just a large closet. Well, there was really no doubt, the room was a closet.

It was exactly big enough for a cot to fit against the back wall and for a green plastic tote to set just right of the door as it was crammed against the wall and the cot frame.

There was no pillow but there were a few blankets crumpled up on the cot.

The sheets had an unpleasant smell as he pulled them over himself after laying down but even though this was the second night in a row sleeping in a closet, he was glad this one at least had a bed and room to stretch his legs.

For a long time he just lay there, despite wanting to break down last night and the panic from this morning, without the constant chill down his spine his spider sense gave him when he was around May he didn’t feel the need for an emotional breakdown.

If anything he felt numb.

He wasn't sure if that was worse yet.

* * *

 

As the days went on, Peter got more deliveries. He was a courier and it wasn’t too bad the first few days, that was until the deliveries escalated to more than just money. Peter soon had to empty his backpack so he could take it on the jobs, some packages could not be hidden by just stuffing them in his pockets. He’d been using the green tote in his closet to hold his things, it was surprisingly empty, though he suspected it was put in there to act as a makeshift nightstand for whoever occupied the closet before him.

The locations of the pickups and dropoffs were all across the map that lay at the table, but never outside of it. Everyday the yardsticks on the axis would be replaced and the combinations of numbers and letters always different.

Code words shifted from colors to animals to names, very few repeating.

Most times Peter was afraid to know what was in the packages. Some made rattling noises like bottles of pills, others felt like rounded bricks, and one of the was undoubtedly a gun.

He didn’t want to admit it, but he was positive he was delivering drugs most of the time.

He somehow found himself doing the exact thing he swore to fight against as Spider-Man.

And the worst part was, he couldn’t do anything about it.

Not that he even had time to go out as the webslinger nowadays. He was getting messages minutes after he finished the last delivery, with the time frames set he didn’t risk running late. He preferred not to find out what happens if he was.

He never saw May, which was the only plus side, but she did leave one message with John the third day he was there. It was a note telling him to do his school work online, Peter guess it was to keep things from looking suspicious. He wasn’t sure what excuse she used for him yet but he’d probably find out once the two weeks were up.

But since he didn’t have his phone, doing his work online was going to be a little tricky. There was no way he could use John’s computer, he wasn’t even allowed in the man's room, so his only other option would be a public library.

Luckily there was one closeish, it was about a twenty block walk but he quickly found a reliable gap between deliveries that allowed him to go to the library. Other than that he had very little free time, if he wasn’t doing deliveries, he was either at the library or catching what little sleep he could manage between jobs at night.

He couldn’t ignore the blatant fact that what he was doing was going against everything Spider-man stood for, but he was too scared to go against what May told him to do.

If she knew these kinds of people enough to get a job like this for him, he was especially scared of what she might do to his friends if he disobeyed her. It wasn’t worth the risk, so he continued with the jobs.

He was quick to decide that he wouldn’t use any of his powers during the job, no matter what. He couldn’t let Spider-man be associated with these kinds of things.

He’d been doing the jobs for about a week now, but he started to notice police activity start to rise in the area. He had noticed more drug deliveries and assumed it was connected. More drugs equaled more attention from the police.

So, the last thing Peter wanted was to get his face spotted by the police while he carried a backpack full of drugs. He didn’t want to end up in jail, what would Mr. Stark think?... Well, he guessed it didn’t really matter what Mr. Stark thought anymore. Peter would immediately push the billionaire from his mind when the thought came up.

It wasn’t long till he started wearing different clothes, especially as his jobs started to appear more at night. Since his normal clothes pegged him as normal teenager, that would look even more suspicious walking the streets in the middle of the night.

Peter hated himself for shoplifting the black hoodie, and gloves, but he needed a way to cover his face as well as assurance his fingerprints wouldn’t be found on anything.

He also had to get a new bag after the other one was taken from him at one of the drop offs when the package he was hauling busted open when they were taken out. Not like he wanted it back anyways, he’s pretty sure the packages was full of cocaine judging by the white powder. He didn’t want it exposed anywhere near him.

With each delivery he grew more disgusted with himself, but since he didn’t really have a choice in this highly illegal job, he wasn’t taking any chances. Hence the hoodie, gloves, and eventually a mask that covered his nose and mouth when needed.

It was nearing the end of week two and Peter wondered if May would be picking him up soon. It was weird to think that it had only been thirteen days since he was dropped off, but he hardly felt the same anymore.

He was quickly snapped out of the thought when his phone went off.

Another set of coordinates. At this point, John spends most of his time in his room on the computer doing whatever it was he was tasked to do, so Peter didn’t need his help anymore deciphering where the locations where since it was fairly straight forward.

“Hey, Nor,” John called from the doorway of his room.

People didn’t ask his name much on the job, but the one time someone did, it wasn’t exactly something he could shrug off. The guy asking had Peter’s spidey sense spiking, it didn’t look it but one wrong move in front of the man and he would probably draw his gun.

Since the code that day was black, Peter wasn’t sure why the french version of the color popped into his head but he wrote it down anyways. The guy pronounced ‘Noir’ as ‘Nor,’ Peter didn’t realized the man was one of the higher ups so the name ended up sticking. Even John called him it.

The man who asked his name was the type of guy that had goons following him, and the type of criminal that would be number one on Spider-Man’s list. With every job Peter did, that list only got longer and number one was always replaced by the next higher up he met.

Once he was out of this situation, Spider-Man had a lot to do in Brooklyn, after he made sure the weapons dealers were dealt with of course… if he ever got back to that.

“I’m getting word that you’re pick up is being staked out by the cops. Job’s still the same, just watch out,” John had his arms crossed as he leaned heavily against the door frame, it was easy to notice he didn’t have his cane with him.

Despite living in the same apartment for a few weeks, they hardly talked. Not that Peter was much for conversation anyways.

Peter did find out that he was a pretty decent guy and from what little details John gave him, it sounded like he owed the wrong guy money after he was discharged from the military. Peter only got that much from the few times the man had one too many beers to drink.

Peter nodded nodded in response to the warning before walking out the door.

Stepping out into the dark street, Peter immediately noticed the smell of rain in the air. It was weird not having access to all his information from his phone for the past few weeks, so he’s been out of the loop of a lot of stuff especially when he barely pays attention to the news that John sometimes turned on. It made the world feel hundreds of times smaller, and it also meant that he wasn’t as updated on weather forecasts. He could only hope it didn’t rain, his pick up and drop off were fairly far apart, almost at completely opposite ends of the area he was assigned courier for.

He didn’t want to walk that though the rain, but considering the pick up might be watched the maybe it was better it started raining. Good cover, washes away evidence if needed, and no one would look twice at a kid with a hoodie pulled tight over his face.

He let out a sigh as he realized what only two weeks of this job was already turning him into. It surprised him how quickly his thoughts shifted from _‘how can I help people’_ to _‘how can I help myself.’_

Peter stuffed a hand in one pocket and the other lightly held onto the single strap of his messenger bag (and appropriately named since it was the best type of bag to have for his job, even if the package is not always messages).

He was about half a block to the location when he felt the faint sprinkles of water on his face, by the time he got there it evolved into a light rain.

He pulled his hood up after glancing at the sky, if people were watching the place they’d be watching who went in and out. All of his actions would need to be judged carefully.

The pick up he was going to was a 24/7 convenience store, so very few legit customers would be visiting at this time of night. His actions would be monitored closely by the watching police.

Pushing through the front door, he lazily made his way back to the drinks section, as if he were a normal teen trying to satisfy his random midnight craving.

Taking a moment to look at the drinks before grabbing one, he opened the door to take a coke. As he made his way up to the front counter he pretended to have one of the snacks catch his eye before grabbing that as well.

The windows and aisle placement caused the store to be easily observed from the outside, this might cause a problem when getting the pick up.

He placed the items on the counter then pulled his bag up to rest on there as he started digging through it. He pulled out his pen before lifting his sleeves up slightly.

The cashier seemed a little confused by the actions until he saw what was Peter wrote on his arm.

_‘Cops watching. Items cover. Delta.’_

One glance at the words and the cashier nodded then pretended to pay Peter out. He reached under the counter to slide a very thick yellow envelope (Documents?). The only thing providing cover for the item was his bag, he only hopped it was enough.

After he was handed a fake receipt he stuffed his drink and the candy he grabbed into his bag along with the envelope in one swift move before pulling the bag off the counter and letting it rest at his side again.

The rain picked up and was a steady downpour now, before walking out the door he pulled his hood further over his face in a fake attempt to shield it from the rain. It was more to conceal his face, the mask would be to much at this point.

It was only then that he spotted an old car parked far down the alleyway just across the street. It was too dark to properly see into it, but he suspected the cops were watching from inside.

Before his gaze lingered to long he looked away, but his sensitive hearing picked up the opening of a car door that would otherwise be hidden among the loud patter of the rain.

Despite his heart rate picking up from nervousness, he kept the same lazy pace as he walked away from the store as he started walking back the way he came. He’d need to be sure he was out of their sight before heading the proper direction of the drop off.

He only worried more as he soon picked up two sets of footsteps trailing behind him. The rain was to loud for him to pick up the hushed whispers of the two but he was sure he heard his name, or at least his alias. He slowed down slightly hoping he could lose some distance between then, only to get close enough to pick out what they were saying.

“What makes you think this guy’s Nor?” A gruff voice asked in a low tone.

Peter was thankful they didn’t notice the distance change.

“Didn’t you see the way his pace changed when he was approaching the convenience store? He was walking like he had somewhere to be, but after he pulled his hood up he took a more casual stroll, almost like he was expecting to be watched,” Said another, it sounded younger but more calculating and precise with his words.

“You based this solely on how he walked?” The other man said with a slightly annoyed sigh, “What if he just wanted to walk slower?”

“Even so, there would have been the same urgency in his steps at a lower pace, but he changed his pace all together,” Said the younger one.

Peter’s chest tightened, they were onto him.

“I hope you’re right, don’t want to follow some kid through the rain for nothing,” the older growled.

“I know I am now, didn't you notice how he slowed to get closer, then his shoulders just stiffened?... He knows we’re following, and he’s listening. Aren't you Nor?”

Despite his logical mind telling him to stay walking like normal, Peter panicked then bolted.

“Stop! NYPD!” The younger said just as Peter turned around a corner into an alleyway.


	15. Chapter 15

Detective Octen and his partner, Lieutenant Anderson, did not expect to be staking out a convenient store in the middle of the night.

But they received a tip that the gang responsible for the distribution of drugs in the Brooklyn area had a new courier. The name floating around was Nor, undoubtedly fake but it was all they had on the courier. That night they hoped to learn more, maybe even catch the guy.

The tip also included the pick up sight, it felt too convenient for Octen, but they couldn’t just ignore a lead like that.

So, here they were. Watching a convenient store as the rain slowly moved in.

Sitting there in the passenger’s seat of the car, the detective almost missed it. The person approaching the store looked normal, but once they got closer they shifted their stance entirely, almost like they were putting on a show.

He watched carefully after that.

The detective watched as the man, who might be this Nor character, entered the building.

He watched as he slowly made his way to the back were the drinks were located and as he walked up one of the aisle towards the front counter grabbing something else along the way.

As he stood at the cash register the view was slightly obstructed by stickers on the window, as well as the man’s conveniently placed bag. (A little to convenient if you asked him.)

Octen could’ve sworn he saw something other than the bought items stuffed into his bag.

It was too suspicious not to look into, plus his hunches on things were usually right. He was sure this was Nor, and he had just started his delivery route.

There were a few protests from his partner as the Detective got out of the car, and despite suggesting the Lieutenant stay he followed along anyways.

They followed a decent distance, their steps shouldn’t have been heard under the downpour of the rain but as he watched the suspected Nor slow down to get closer from them, he wondered if they were not nearly as discreet as he thought.

He kept his voice low, it should have been impossible for the man to hear them, but he obviously tensed when his name was mentioned for the second time.

Octen couldn’t help but test his theory.

“... He knows we’re following, and he’s listening. Aren't you Nor?”

With that Nor ran, the Detective took chase.

Nor took a shark right into an alleyway probably trying to lose Octen in the darkness, but this wasn’t the first suspect the Detective had to chase after and it certainly won’t be the last.

Nor took another sharp turn as he busted through a door into one of the abandoned business building. When Octen followed he was met with pitch darkness as he ran down the tiled hall.

He was able to pull a flashlight out as he spotted the heal of Nor disappear up the stairwell to his left.

He obviously knew the area well since there was no way someone could navigate in complete darkness like that, Octen was at a severe disadvantage. He hiked up the stairs almost three at a time. The suspect turned into the third floor door with a loud shatter of glass as the door’s window broke as it banged against the wall.

Making it to the door only moments after, Octen glanced left seeing a dead end then immediately went right as he followed the running footsteps.

Then they suddenly stopped as Octen reached the end of the hall. He froze in his steps as he listened closely for any kind of movement in the abandon building.

He slowly started walking pass the doorways of the ruined offices, he was flashing his light in one when he heard a crash of paper and metal behind him.

Flipping around he spotted Nor on the floor just twenty feet in front of him. The suspect scrambled to his his feet as he rushed to the opposite exit of the office where another door stood.

Nor ran into the door shaking it violently indicating it was locked.

Octen had to run around the large group of chairs and desks, he couldn’t risk going through them. It was too dark and there was cluster and knocked over file cabinets everywhere, the risk of tripping was to high. He needed to catch this guy and he wasn’t going to fail that by tripping.

Unfortunately the detour gave Nor enough time to grab a chair hurling it though one of the glass dividers separating the office from the other hallway. Octen cursed at himself before taking a more direct route as he slide over one of the desks, papers fluttered behind him, he ducked his head as he jumped through the divider.

He spotted Nor heading up to the roof exit as his momentum caused him to collide with the wall opposite of the divider.

He pushed off as he hurried to the stairwell door. _Where was Nor even going? The roof was a dead end._

Busting through the roof exit, he was barely in time to spot Nor dash across the rooftop.

He quickly followed but his heart dropped as he watched the suspect leap off the roof edge. He was barely able to stop himself in time, but it allowed him to see Nor just get up from a landing role on the lower roof of the neighboring building.

Nor looked back at Octen with a black mask over his nose and mouth, he must have slipped it on some time during the chase. Octen was sure it wasn’t there when he watched Nor walk into the building, even then he couldn’t get a good look at his face.

“Dammit!” The Detective cursed as he he heard the roof door opened behind him. “He jumped to the next roof!” He said as he turned to face his partner, he started walking over to him.

“Shit,” The Lieutenant mumbled, he looked up at the Detective seeing the daring look in the other man’s eye. “Octen don’t you dare…”

“He’s our only lead,” the Detective said just as he turned on his heel as he sprinted towards the edge of the roof.

“Wait!” The Lieutenant yelled.

Jumping off the roofs ledge, Octen flew through the air. His foot collided with the edge of the next building but the water from the rain caused his shoe to slip.

He was barely able to grab the ledge with his fingers, but even those were losing the battle against the silk stone’s edge.

The Lieutenant did always say that he was going to get himself killed one day. He suspected a bullet wound, not a three story drop.

He tried pulling himself up but the movement caused his grip lose immediately.

“Connor!” Anderson yelled.

Octen expected to hit the ground, so he was surprised to feel someone grab his arm.

Looking up he was confused to see the hooded figure of Nor looking down at him. The mask he had before slip off his face during his efforts to grab the Detective. He only now realized how young the courier was.

He hauled Octen up over the ledge, he was again surprised when he actually saw the scrawny frame of Nor. He pulled the Detective over the edge with the ease of someone twice his size, but Octen was a little too preoccupied with the thought of almost dying to look into that.

Despite the fact Nor just saved his life, he did still have enough sense to feel the obligation to the law.

Before Nor could get up, Octen snapped a set of handcuffs on the courier’s wrist as he held tight to the other end incase he tried to run.

“You’re under arrest for the suspected trafficking of drugs,” He said with a heavy breath, his heart pounded as the panic of almost losing his life faded.

He was still sitting on the ground by the ledge.

Nor, seemed to know when he was beat and collapsed to the ground next to him. He held out his other hand for the cuff to be clasped on it.

* * *

 

Peter tapped his leg nervously as he found himself handcuffed to a desk in an interrogation room. He only hoped they couldn’t figure out who he was, and judging by the time it was taking them to come back and question him he doubt they were finding anything.

All they had was a face and a fake name, Peter still had his gloves on and there was no way he was going to drink from the provided glass of water, so they weren't going to find out by DNA either.

They technically didn’t have anything on him, he didn’t have his bag with him and there was no way they were going to find it in the ceiling of the office building.

He probably could have snuck out of there if his foot didn’t slip on the desk he was climbing. The thought of stealing a pair of boots crossed his mind since his current shoes were not made with good traction, but he quickly shook it out, this was probably his last job.

Once he’s out of here he’ll return to the building grab the bag and deliver it.

It might be late, but at least it will get there.

For now, he needed to focus on getting out of here.

He had grabbed a paper clip from one of the desks before he hid his bag, if he could just grab it out of his hoodie pocket he could pick the cuffs, but just as he was about to reach for it his spidey sense gently buzzed.

_Watched_

Peter let out a heavy sigh as he looked towards the one way mirror, where the hidden eyes most likely were.

He was shocked to see almost a stranger in the mirror. It might have been the trick of the light but his skin seemed paler and his eyes were dark with the lack of sleep. His usually neat hair was tousled and poked out in odd directions from being trapped under the hood. It was still damp from the rain causing it to have a darker shade.

He quickly looked away, he didn’t want to see the stranger he’d become.

_… Ben would be disappointed._

_… May might be proud._

He heard the click of the door open and he quickly looked up to see the Detective he saved.

An action that currently caused him to be here.

But that was not something he regretted, he refused to let his actions be the cause of an officer’s life.

Though, it was kinda ridiculous he jumped the gap between the buildings. It was further then what a normal person should have been able to make (He regretted resorting to his spider strength) and Peter was surprised he at least made it to the edge.

As the Detective walked in, his partner followed.

The Detective looked much younger and way more professional with his neatly combed back brown hair and clean shaven look along with a suit and tie.

His partner on the other hand had a scruffy beard and grizzled gray hair. Hid clothes looked like they belonged in the 80s and were not nearly as smoothed out.

The young detective sat in the chair while the other leaned against the wall behind him. He looked imposing, an intimidation tactic. Peter probably would have been nervous in front of the man… that would be if he didn’t know worse threats.

“My name is Detective Connor Octen, this is my partner Lieutenant Anderson. What’s your name?” He asked gently.

Even if Peter could talk he wouldn’t, he just remained in his seat as he watched the two with a blank expressions. He didn’t want to be rude but they weren't getting anything from him.

“Can you tell me why you ran?” He then asked after realizing he wouldn’t get an answer.

Again no response.

“Why did you save me?” The Detective asked.

Peter couldn’t help but shift slightly at the question, where he was once looking Octen in the eyes he forced himself to look back at the Lieutenant.

Anderson let out an annoyed sigh, “Kid, if you don’t talk we can hold you here overnight. When you’re parents start looking for you, we’ll get answers.”

Peter just gave the Lieutenant a faint smile as he looked at him, he shook his head.

Despite the man’s stoic face there was a puzzled look in his eyes.

“Nor, we just want to help you. We known you’re just a courier, you probably didn’t even know what you were carrying,” Octen continued.

Peter gave no response. If he waited long enough they would leave again, and he could escape.

Octen just studied Peter’s face, but whatever he was looking for, Peter was sure he’d never find it.

After another stretch of silence, the Detective stood up.

“We will find out who you are, it’s better if you tell us first,” He said in one last attempt to get Peter to respond.

 _‘I’m neither Peter nor Spider-Man right now, despite it being an accident the current name is appropriate,’_ Peter thought to himself.

A moment passed before the two left the room.

Peter waited for a minute to let his spidey sense tell him he was no longer being watched.

He stood up in his chair as he strained to reach for his pocket, he was well aware of the camera watching him but he only hopped he was out of there before someone looked.

He bent the paperclip so it could fit into the lock, the mechanics of the lock in the cuffs were simple enough that he was actually using the paperclip as a makeshift key instead of picking it.

Once the first one was off the second was off shortly after, he quietly walked to the door as he slowly turned the handle. He listen carefully outside.

He couldn’t hear any nearby footsteps or voices so he exited the interrogation room making sure to close the door behind him.

He couldn’t go out the way he came in since they walked through the middle of the precinct. To many eyes and he would be spotted immediately.

There had to be a side exit somewhere, he decided to go the opposite direction down the hall.

It turned to the right and he spotted the evidence room as well as the bathrooms, but other then that the place was a dead end.

He frowned, if there was a second exit, it wasn’t here. He’d need to go through the main room.

Luckily his hood was still on as he walked in, so maybe some of the officers didn’t notice his face.

He pulled his black hoodie off before tying it around his waist. He then ran his fingers through his hair as he tried to smooth it out. Any little bit of appearance change will help but not if he runs into the Detective and Lieutenant.

He walked back toward the interrogation room down the way he was brought in. He peaked around the corner that lead into the room where the officers desks were located.

Anderson and Octen were at a desk. Anderson sat in his chair while Octen leaned back on a cabinet in front of the other man as they talked.

He wasn’t going through there without being spotted by them but maybe he can make it far enough to make it out.

He walked through two sets of doors near the entrance, he spotted an electronic lock on the second so if they called out he was sure someone had the ability to lock it on short notice.

He was glad he didn’t have to worry about guns, he was unarmed and only trying to escape, not to mention he was a kid so he was fine unless some trigger happy rookie got spooked.

Even then if he needed to, he can dodge the bullet.

He took a deep breath as he walked casually passed all the desks on the far side away from the two officers. He was about half way through the room when the Lieutenant spotted him.

“Fuck, he got out! Quick stop him!”

About eight other officers in the room turned their attention towards Peter, only three of them stood between him and the door.

Peter for the second time that night he bolted.

The first tried to tackle him but Peter evaded by sliding over a desk, the second pulled a taser out but Peter quickly pushed him aside knocking the weapon out of his hand, he heard the officers head hit the nearby desk pretty hard and mentally apologized.

The third tried to use his body as a block, Peter took the path of least resistance by sliding between his legs. He wouldn't risk losing his momentum, he needed it to smash through the glass of the now locked door.

Tucking his face in his arms he hurled himself at the glass, it was painful and if he were normal would have suffered a broken shoulder but as he landed on the ground with a thud he only felt a few scratches. Hopefully none of them had blood.

He quickly scrambled to his feet and he could hear Octen behind him but he didn’t dare look back as he bolted out the front door.

The cold rain hit his face, he ignored it and only hoped the dark night with heavy rain could help him get away.

He ran through the alleyways and back streets that brought him as far away from the precinct as possible. When he couldn’t hear the footsteps chasing him he still ran.

It wasn’t till he was twenty blocks away that he finally slowed down.

* * *

 

He was soaked by the time he go back to his bag, he then carefully navigated through the streets to the drop off location.

It was a nightclub, this was often where a lot of his drop offs were.

Like usual he knocked on the back door and gave the code word by writing it on his arm, but unlike usual he was brought inside.

He was lead to a back room and into an office.

It was extravagant with velvet furniture and a large wooden desk with who Peter assumed was the main boss sitting behind it.

He wore a sharp suit and was slightly overweight, the man was completely bald and had many expensive looking rings on his fingers.

He reminded Peter of a shark, especially with the wide smile he was showing.

“I hope you didn’t mind that little test I gave you… Nor was it?” He asked.

Peter narrowed his eyes as he nodded.

“I’m impressed, you’re probably the most persistent couriers that I’ve ever had, none of the others were able to escape the cop but you also were able to keep them from getting the package. I’ll take that by the way,” The man said as he held out his hand.

Peter walked over to the desk, he was highly aware of the steady warning his Spidey sense gave him and the fact that the other three goons in the room were heavily armed.

He reached into his bag pulling out the yellow envelope then handed it to the man.

“I am going to miss you, once your aunt takes you back... “ He took the envelope then placed it in the sliding drawer of his desk. “But I don't believe this will be the last time you work for me.”

Peter swallowed, he was glad he was actually going back to May’s house and away from all of this but he didn’t like the prospects of returning to the work.

Of course he didn’t let any of that show as he kept a blank expression.

The man’s smile grew wider, “You may go.” He said as he waved Peter off.

Peter gave a polite nod before turning to leave.

He felt better once he was out of there, but couldn’t shake the feeling that he might see that place again.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Annnnd another chapter down! Woohoo! I get so excited posting these things... but I don't think Peter feels the same enjoyment lol


	16. Chapter 16

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I didn't expect so many of you guys to react to the Conner and Hank reference lol. Btw hope you also noticed Markus and Kara in the earlier chapters.
> 
> To those of you who have no idea who they are, they're characters from a video game called Detroit: Become Human. You don't need to know what that is to continue the story, it's just a friendly nod to the awesome game.

A week has passed since Stark last heard from Peter, and it was a busy week at that. The tower was completely vacated and the plane that was supposed to take everything upstate was just a  _ fucking drone _ when it arrived. That was a complete disaster, but luckily he’s a paranoid man and had multiple tracking devices on that plane. 

They found it at an abandoned airport in Vermont, unfortunately the ones who stole it left before he got there and when inventory was taken they managed to take two crates of fully functional alien weapons. 

Stark had them triple check the count of ark reactors and Iron Man suit parts to make sure they didn’t get any of those.

To his relief they didn’t seem to have enough time to grab them.

During that disaster Stark didn’t even notice the lack of Spider-Man swinging around the city till the major fallout of the heist blew over, but by then another week had already passed.

A new worry started to build up in Stark. Surely his meddling wouldn’t cause Peter to run from hero work, he was way to passionate about it to let the lack of suit stop him. He did have the homemade suit after all.

What reason would he have to lay low?

Stark couldn’t take not knowing anymore.

He had FRIDAY locate the GPS in Peter’s phone, but was puzzled to find that it hadn’t moved from Peter’s apartment for nearly two weeks. A quick hack into the school system told him that he was signed out of school for those weeks and was due to return that Monday.

The only signs of Peter were the daily work he was sending in online.

Tony didn’t like the looks of this, it gave him a bad feeling. He decided not to act on the urge to dawn the Iron Man armor until after Peter was supposed to return to school.

But as he slowly started to figure out May it was easy to realize that she did everything on purpose. She was the one to say Peter was returning, so more likely than not he would, that still didn’t change the fact that he didn’t know what happened within the two weeks. He just hoped Peter didn’t suffer because of him.

* * *

 

Peter was glad to be back at school, but at the same time he wished he were somewhere else. After weeks of working on the wrong side of the law he felt… dirty. 

What if they find out who he was at the Brooklyn precinct? He was horrified to find a cut on his arm from smashing through the glass, it was just a scrape but that was nearly a day after the incident. His skin already started healing so there was no telling how deep it actually was, he should have kept his hoodie on to prevent that.

_ ‘Next time I’ll wear long sleeves.’ _

No.

There wasn’t going to be a next time, Peter was done. He was back at school with his friends, and he didn’t have to be worried about breaking the law.

Why would cops from Brooklyn even be looking at a prep school in Queens.

He shook the worry out of his head.

Besides, he’s never had his DNA in the system before, even then it would have been before the spider bite and he’s pretty sure that his genetics have changed since.

… but if they do have his blood, they’ll know Nor isn’t human. Then he’ll have to worry more about the Accorded then he ever has.

Peter suddenly felt a spike from his spidey sense.

_ Non lethal projectile, behind. _

Peter had to fight the urge to move as a basketball contacted the back of his head. 

“Watch it, puny Parker,” Flash snapped. 

They were practicing basketball today in gym, not that they played basketball. It was mostly just knockout or practicing throws. 

Flash must have ‘accidentally’ overshot the hoop at the basketball hoop next to Peter’s. He hated to admit it but stealing and smuggling drugs was easier than dealing with Flash.

God, did Peter really just think that?

He couldn’t tell if it was his intelligence or exposure to Aunt May, but he didn’t like how easily he fell into the role of courier for a Brooklyn gang.

The day went on and he ended up in his usual spot at the lunch table. 

“Dude, where’d you go for the last two weeks?” Ned asked the moment he sat down next to Peter. 

Peter had been slightly avoiding his friends until then since he didn’t want to tell the lie twice.

He started to type while MJ sat down, she was also interested in the answer.

<We had to go to Texas. May’s brother died and there was a lot of stuff that needed to be dealt with, his wife never liked us so there was a family dispute that also had to be dealt with. Luckily they were able to settle their differences.>

They both gave him sympathetic looks. He quickly started to type.

<It goes to say that I’ve only met her brother twice, I don’t even remember the first time. So he was a stranger to me.> Peter shrugged.

“Well, welcome back, partner. Hope the great state of Texas treated you well,” MJ said in a fake Texan accent.

<Rattlesnakes and cacti everywhere, closest I’ll ever get to going to Australia.>

“Who needs Australia when you got Texas,” Ned joined in. 

They all laughed. 

“So… what about your other thing,” MJ said suspiciously.

Ned suddenly looked very guilty, “I’m sorry Peter! I didn’t mean to tell her,” He said quickly.

Peter was a little confused, <Tell her what?>

“You know,” He leaned in to whisper, “That you’re Spider-Man.”

<Dude, she already knew.>

“What! You made me think I betrayed Peter,” Ned gasped looking back at MJ.

“Technically you did since you didn’t know I knew,” She said smugly.

Peter just rolled his eyes, <No one else can know.>

“Can know what?” Flash said suddenly butting in, “Peter’s got a secret? Finally something interesting about this loser.”

<Why are you here?> Peter looked at Flash with a glare. 

“What, I wanna be apart of your little club to. What’s the entry cost? Lowest popularity score?” Flash snarked. 

“Is it just me or are Flash’s jokes getting lamer?” Ned said to the others as if Flash wasn’t even there. 

Flash just scoffed, “It’s probably Peter stepping out of the closet. About time isn’t it?” He gave Peter’s shoulders a few pats that were stronger than they should have been. Peter would have been threatened if he were a normal teen… he’s not, but he still pretended to whence. 

“Oooh, I’m sure you’d love to know that,” MJ grinned as she stared Flash directly in the eyes.

There was a hint of red in Flash’s cheeks, “Whatever.” He snarled before walking away.

After he was out of earshot MJ was the first to speak, “Code words, we need them.”

<Yeah, smart idea.> Peter replied. 

* * *

 

As the week went on Peter was busy with all sorts of make up work, since he got a lot of stuff done online there wasn’t nearly as much as there would have been. Though he still regretted a few instances where he slept instead of going to the library.

May was, well, more neglectful than usual, which was a good thing. The less she noticed him the less he suffered, but he had noticed any time she looked at him it was like she found the golden goose. 

He wasn’t stupid, he knew that she was getting payed for his work as a courier. Though he underestimated how much, that was until he spotted a very expensive dress and shoes sitting in the closet one day when he was cleaning.

This was cause for worry.

She’s going to want more money. 

He shook the thought from his head, she couldn’t do that. It would be to suspicious if he kept going away weeks at a time, she can’t just take him out of school, right?

The thought of losing school as an escape caused his chest to burn with anxiety.

He tried to hang onto the fact that it was literally illegal for a student to miss too much school as he went though the next week.

Everything started to settle back into normal routines. He’d go to school, talk with Ned and MJ, avoid Flash at all possible. He even started talking with Liz a little more, what surprised him was one Friday she showed him that she was learning ASL.

What confused him was he thought something like that would make him feel giddy on the inside, that warm and fuzzy feeling you get when your crush does something amazing.

But, he didn’t.

And he couldn’t understand why.

Instead he opted for faking the emotion of happy excitement. He never had to do that before.  

His patrols as Spider-Man continued, with a downgraded suit mind you, but a suit all the same. He had a habit of pulling the hood up on the home-made suit, even going so far to sew the thing to the mask so it stayed on better. 

It was weird but he felt less hidden without it.

He went thought Queens and Manhattan taking out bad guys and crooks. He avoided the Avengers tower and hadn't even noticed the distinct lack of traffic in and out of the place.

Unfortunately, he couldn't start on his hit list for Brooklyn. He needed to wait for things concerning Nor to cool down before he jumped in, the Detective that caught him was smart, and he didn’t need him attaching Spider-Man to Peter’s face.

Though, from the lack of cops knocking on his door he suspected even that wasn’t enough to find out who he was.

The alien weapons dealers were supposed to be his primary target, but there’d been no sign of them since he got back. He started to suspect that it had something to do with the cargo plane that was robbed while he was away. It was then that he found out Avenger’s tower was sold, he was confused that he didn't know about that sooner, he did work there after all.

Maybe it was mentioned and he just wasn’t listening at the time.

Mr. Stark definitely didn’t say anything about it.

Well, guess none of that matters now.

Homecoming decorated the walls that next week, and Peter even helped Liz with the decorations. After only the banner was left to pin up in the cafeteria, Peter held the ladder as he watched Liza secure the banner. 

“How’s it look?” She asked. Peter gave a thumbs up with a smile. 

He held the ladder steady as she climbed down.

“I think that’s all, thanks for helping Peter, I might have been here all lunch if you hadn't,” She gave almost a shy smile as she glanced at him. 

What he would have given for her to look at him like that a little over a month ago. 

He was getting good at the fake flustered smiles in return.

“So…” She trailed off as she rocked on her heels lightly.

Peter grinned again as he glanced down at his feet. He then decided to do what was expected of him, even though he knew he shouldn’t.

‘So,’ Peter signed, ‘I was wondering.’

_ I wasn’t. _

“Yeah?” Her understanding of sign was improving at a surprising rate. She was still a beginner so he signed slower than he usually would.

‘If maybe…’

_ Don’t Peter. _

‘You wanted…’

_ This doesn't feel right. _

‘To go to Homecoming with me?’

_ Why does this feel hollow. _

She smile brightly at him, “I would love that Peter.”

He grinned back despite not really feeling it, ‘Awesome.,’ he signed excitedly.

* * *

 

As that Friday approached, Peter expected no help from May when figuring out the whole Homecoming thing. 

He had to teach himself to dance, it wasn’t very good but it would do, as well as how to tie his tie. He was thankful for the existences of YouTube tutorials.

He, regrettably, had to steal a suit to wear. He hated it, he really did, but he had no other option. Plus he made sure to keep the tags attached and tucked away so he could return it straight after. Maybe even stuff a few extra bucks in the cash register for renting it. 

The only thing May was willing to do was drop him off at Liz’s house, he was glad to know that her dad would be the one to take them to the dance. He didn’t want Liz anywhere near May.

Just before Peter stepped out of the car May grabbed his arm and in the sweetest voice he’s ever heard her talk to him in she said. “Oh and sweetie, make sure to tell all your friends goodbye tonight. You won’t ever be seeing them again.”

Peter froze and went wide as he slowly looked over at her, he breathing picked up. 

What did he do wrong? What was she going to do?

She seemed to take pleasure in his panic.

‘Why?’ He finally managed to sign.

“We’re moving to Texas… at least that’s the official story,” The sweetness in her voice was gone as she grinned at him. “You’ll be home schooled with the rest of your cousins as you work on the farm, my sister-in-law and I have come up with an agreement. We need to be closer to the rest of the family, so we’re moving out of New York.”

Peter shook his head, she was actually taking him out of school now. Were they also moving? If so, he’s sure it’s nowhere nice like the Texas situation she described. ‘You can’t.’

“Peter darling,” He went ridged at the words and she leaned in close. His spidey sense was painful down his back. “I can do whatever I want, there’s no one that can stop me... certainly not you.”

Peter swallowed, before nodding obediently.

She finally let go of his arm, “Have fun now…” 

Peter quickly got out of the car, May was driving off the moment the door closed.

It took a minute for him to finally calm down enough to manage any kind of mask.

He let out a breath as he clutched the plastic box with the corsage in his hands before walking up the small sidewalk. It was an odd experience seeing the place not full of excited teens like the last time he was here, the house seemed much nicer without the extra bodies and noise.

He took in a few deep breaths as he pushed back the feeling of dread May gave him, before ringing the doorbell. 

It hardly look a minute for someone to open the door, and boy did Peter not think his night could get worse. 

“You must be Peter,” The man said with a smile, “I’m Liz’s dad.” 

Peter just nodded in greeting as he forced his calmness. He should have known his luck was rotten enough for Liz’s dad to be the Vulture.

For a moment Peter suspected that the man knew who he was, but as he held his hand out to shake, Peter could tell he was doing the intimidating dad thing he always saw in movies.

Toomes waved for Peter to follow him inside and they ended up in the kitchen. Peter couldn’t help but remain cautious. The house felt like a trap but he needed to pretend that it didn’t. 

After the shock from the realization passed it was easy to get back under the proverbial mask.

“Hi, Peter,” Said a kind woman from behind him. He turned to face Liz’s mom, “You look very handsome.”

Peter smiled in thanks before signing ‘Thank you.’ 

“That means ‘thank you’ right?” Toomes said curiously.

Peter looked over with a slightly confused expression as he nodded.

“Liz has been showing us some sign language, we couldn’t believe how quick she picked it up,” Liz’s mom said.

“We’ll judging by how fast she picked up Spanish, I think she has a knack for languages,” He spoke with pride. He had started doing the dishes while Peter stood awkwardly on the other side of the kitchen island.

“That is true, speaking of, I’m going to go get Liz. I’m sure she’s excited,” Liz’s mom said before leaving down one of the hallways. Peter watched as she left before looking back at Toomes. He was sharpening a knife, strangely that didn’t make Peter nervous. Without his wings he was just a normal guy, he wasn’t really a threat at the moment.

“So, I bet you're nervous,” Toomes said, “How about something to take the edge of, scotch maybe?”

Peter shook his head, he was sure this was dad test, but even still if he was asking for real Peter wouldn’t take it.

“Right answer,” Toomes smiled as he pointed the knife playfully towards Peter.

The next moment Liz walked out. She looked stunning in the dress, he told her she looked good and he could see the blush on her face as he awkwardly handed her the corsage.

Liz’s mom insisted they take a picture together before going and Peter was pretty proud of himself for making it look like he was genuinely excited about the event, but of course not to much so, that would be creepy.

After getting into the car he did feel tense being trapped in the vehicle with Toomes but he was pretty sure nothing was actually going to happen while Liz sitting next to him.

The man really seemed to care for his family, Peter was a little jealous.

It wasn’t till the man started small talk that things got a little worrying.

“So, what are you going to do after you graduate, Pete?” The man said looking back at him through the mirror. 

<I don’t know yet, haven’t decided.>

“Dad don't grill him,” Liz muttered.

“I’m just saying, those who go to that school seemed to already have your life planned out, right?”

<I’m just a sophomore, still looking at my options.>

Liz leaned forward to talk to her dad, “Peter has an internship with Tony Stark. I don’t think he has to worry.”

“Stark? Really? So, what do you do?” 

Peter hated the conversation being focused on himself, <Actually I don’t intern for him anymore.> He tried to avoid the painful memory of returning the suit but with no success.

“What seriously?” Liz asked surprised.

<Yeah, it was getting boring.> He typed quickly, though he immediately regretted it. He should have come up with a better excuse.

Liz gave a small laugh in disbelief, “How? You got to hang out with Spider-Man!”

“Really? Spider-Man?” Toomes  said.

Number one rule of being a secret superhero was avoid conversations about said hero, ESPECIALLY when you’re talking with the guy you’ve already ticked off while being that hero. Well, he may not know that but there’s no way it should be risked.

He started questioning about Spider-Man, Peter gave short answers. Then Peter tried to change the subject to complement Liz’s party. She then unknowingly started giving her dad clues. 

“You were, there for two seconds Peter. How would you know?” 

His excuses were weak and he was trying to change the topic again but to no avail. It wasn’t till she mentioned him disappearing after the decathlon that his spidey sense gave a warning.

He saw Toomes looking back at him suspiciously.

“I bet you were glad when your pal Spider-Man showed up in that elevator,” Toomes didn’t even ask it like a question, it was as if he already knew the answer.

He glanced at Liz, he couldn’t just lie. She would call him out on it. 

<I wasn’t in the elevator, I saw it from the ground.> He kept his face plain, and stayed calm.

“Good ol Spider-Man…” Toomes said looking back at Peter. He had a knowing look in his eyes. 

When they got to the dance Liz was the first to get out, he told Liz he was going to give Peter the ‘dad’ talk. 

Liz just rolled her eyes before saying, “I’ll meet you inside, Peter.” 

Peter just nodded in return before facing his attention towards Toomes.

The man had pulled out a gun letting it rest against the passenger seat within sight.

“Does she know?”

Peter’s expression changed from neutral to a narrowed gaze as he stared at the man. He didn’t feel nearly as threatened by the gun then the guy wanted him to be. 

Thinking about it, what was he really going to do? They were surrounded by kids and teachers, not to mention the gun didn’t have a silencer on it so the shot would definitely be heard. 

With how careful the man was being about his illegal side job, Peter was sure shooting a highschooler in front of a school dance was not in his agenda. The whole thing was to incriminating.

The man took Peter’s silence as a no, “Good, keep things close to the chest. I admire that… for all the reasons I didn’t want my daughter dating,” He joked.

He then continued after a pause, “What you did back in DC was admirable. You saved my daughter's life, and to me, nothing is more important than family. I could never forget something like that.” 

“So… I’m going to give you one chance,” The man tightened his grip on the gun. “Walk through those doors and forget any of this happened, and don’t you ever,  _ ever,  _ interfere with my business again. Because if you do, I’ll kill you, and everybody you love.”

Now Peter was seriously ticked off, who the hell did this guy think he was? Threatening his friends like that? He probably thought he was threatening May. Now  _ that _ made him laugh, literally.

The man seemed to frown at Peter’s reaction, since normally if everyone you love is being threatened you shouldn’t find it humorous.

“You think I’m joking?” Toomes said, he was definitely offended. Good.

Peter shook his head, but the grin was still on his face. He couldn’t help but feel a little more like Nor in this moment. He had his phone out typing. 

<No, no, of course not. But you think you can threaten me? With something like death? Even threaten my loved ones? By the way, that will only caused you daughter heartbreak if she suddenly loses three friends> Peter laughed again. He had the advantage in this situation.

The man just knitted his eyes together, he tried to keep the confusion from his face but it wasn’t entirely masked.

<That is rich. You need to know your enemy better if you’re throwing threats.> Peter typed.

He reached up, patting the man on the shoulder obnoxiously. He was kinda hoping for him to react, and of course a guy with his pride did.

Peter’s spidey sense spiked.

_ Threat left. _

The man tried to push the gun against Peter’s chest, but Peter was faster, much, much, faster. Toomes had a gun against his neck only seconds after he moved.

_ ‘I should have brought gloves’  _ Peter thought,  _ ‘Now my fingerprints are on the gun.’ _

“You’re not a killer,” Toomes replied.

Peter had his phone in one hand, he was a little slow in typing but managed. 

<Am I?>

_ Was he? _

Silence fell between the two. Eventually Peter pulled the gun away, he wiped the handle on his jacket before placing it on the back seat. 

<Don’t threaten me with an unsilenced gun next time.> Peter typed before getting out of the car, he felt calmer than he should have been after an experience like that. He could feel Toomes’ eyes throwing daggers his direction, he still wasn’t bothered. If anything he had an odd respect for the man, now that he understood his motives better.

He was just a man trying to protect and provide for his family.

He never knew he could be so jealous of Liz, he wished he had family like that.

He shook his head as he cleared the thought, no point in think about that now. A night like tonight only proves May’s words,  _ Peter Parker doesn't get happy endings _ . But knowing that only made him value what little light he got in his own personal hell of a life.

He quickly made his way up the stairs to the gym. He was going to make the most of that night, and that meant spending time with this friends. To him they were the most important aspect of his life, they were the only people he cared about, and the only ones who cared about him.

If May said he would never see them again, then it was probably for the better. They didn’t even realize how dangerous it was to be associated with him.

The only one he worried about the most was Liz, with in the short time of getting to know her better he’d started to consider her a close friend, even if she probably wanted more then a friendship, it wasn’t till now that Peter realized how much he didn’t want that.

He could never let someone get that close, it would be too dangerous for them and it would only give May another person to use against him. 

_ ‘Sorry, Liz. Maybe if things were different we might have had a chance.’ _

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So! For the next phase of this story I kinda had to switch up the timeline slightly, if you didn't notice the plain robbery and the school homecoming happened weeks apart. That means from now on the story has completely diverted from the original Spider-Man homecoming plot... and now I don't have an excuse to watch it anymore, probably for the better, my watched times for that movie was 43


	17. Chapter 17

It wasn’t till the end of the night that Peter broke the news.

Peter’s friends were understandably upset after he told them he was ‘moving.’ He told them that they were leaving tomorrow morning so there would be no other chances for goodbyes.

Of course they questioned why he didn’t say something sooner, but Peter replied by saying he only found out days ago and hadn’t wanted to make Homecoming sad for them. 

MJ didn’t like the excuse, he could see it on her face but she didn’t voice her opinion on that.

As Homecoming drew to an end, the crowd of students slowly thinned. Liz was the first to leave, she gave Peter a big hug before walking off to the car that waited for her. Peter spotted Toomes in the front seat, when he glanced back at his daughter, who looked sad, he shot a glare at Peter. It wasn’t till Liz spoke that his shifted to suspicious confusion.

She undoubtedly told him about Peter moving.

At that point Peter turned to his other friends, since the villain didn’t deserve any reaction from Peter, he was still pissed that the guy had the audacity to threaten his friends.

“Is there really no way you can stay?” Ned asked.

Peter just shook his head.

“Well, at least promise you’ll call, doofus,” MJ said, she was trying to look as tough as she usually did but he could tell she was just as affected by the news Peter was leaving as Liz.

Toomes’ car was eventually replaced by Aunt May. The dread from before was resurfacing. 

<Bye guys> Peter typed, how he wished he didn’t have Aunt May for a guardian. Tonight could have been different.

* * *

 

“Welcome back Nor,” John greeted tiredly as Peter walked through the door.

Peter just nodded in greeting before walking over to the closet. Once again his smart phone was replaced with a simple flip phone.

He had two weeks of cloths stuffed in his messenger bag (even though he’d be saying longer, looks like he’d have to make regular trips to the laundromat), he emptied it all out in the little green tote was still in the closet. He would have packed more but May only let him have the one bag, there was really no reason for it, she was just being cruel. 

Just as Peter was pulling out his black hoodie, mask, and gloves he got a text.

**Unknown number: YV, 8L, 11:30AM Lela**

Right, that was Peter’s cue to get to work.

“Cops have been swarming the city since you’ve left, the lead officers have been driving themselves crazy trying to find you after you escaped,” John warned as Peter walked to the door. Peter just gave a thumbs up in response.

His new goal was to not get caught again, but before he went to the pickup he needed to grab a pair of boots. At least with a different name he could pretend to be someone else, but that still didn’t stop the guilt from stealing.

* * *

 

After that Monday of Peter showing up to school Tony relaxed slightly. He still kept an eye on the kid though. He kept his grades up, he was back at being Spider-Man, he seemed to be returning to life before Tony Stark.

Tony had to admit he really didn’t like that, it meant that he was still had to deal with May.

During those weeks Peter was back at school, Tony still dug into May’s past.

He wasn’t able to contact Dr. Kara, she had apparently moved to Europe after her daughter’s death, it was suspiciously around the time she was evaluating May, then dropped off the map in 1990s, last known destination was Kathmandu. No way he would find her after all those years, even if he took a flight to Kathmandu the chances she was still alive were small, she’d be in her 80s if she was.

So that was a dead end, he started trying to find the police officers that might have been on the force with Ben. It wasn’t exactly easy, some had moved to different states and others retired to Florida, and a few had been killed in action. Luckily there was one officer who was still alive, in the city, and also still on active duty. So finding him would be easy, he just hoped Lieutenant Hank Anderson had a good memory. 

It probably wasn’t the greatest move to walk into the Brooklyn precinct, but he didn’t want to send Happy to do all of his work, plus he wanted to hear the answers himself.

Stepping into the precinct he was surprised to see the second door of the entryway had its glass broken though. He looked at it cautiously wondering what kind of force could break through the thick glass like that.

Walking into the room full of officers, Tony immediately spotted the Lieutenant. He had spoken to the man on the phone before arriving so his visit wasn’t all that surprising to man as he looked Tony’s way, he seems to scoff at the sight of him.

Tony casually walked over to the desk the man sat at, “Lieutenant Anderson,” he greeted.

“Stark,” the man said less than amused. “Thought you were joking when you said you be coming here, usually a rich prick like you would have me visit you.”

“If you haven’t noticed, my office moved upstate. Currently don't have a waiting room I can wait your time in,” He smiled. 

“Whatever,” Anderson said shaking his head with a faint smile, “The only reason I agreed to this is because Ben was a good cop, I always had a bad feeling about the way he died.”

“You and me both,” Tony mutter. 

“So what’s go you so interested in the case?”

“That’s my business,” Tony said casually as he started to look at the different trinkets and objects on the desk next to Anderson. It had a few glass figures of dogs as well as a wind up robot.

“Then I guess you can take it somewhere else,” Anderson said crossing his arms, he had remained in a seating position but he still somehow make Tony feel like he was being looked down on.

There was a long pause, Tony really needed answers, if this Lieutenant was suspicious about Ben’s death maybe he wasn’t so bad. “Fine, but tell me one thing first. If you were suspicious about his death why didn’t you investigate further?”

Anderson let out a sigh, “We had a witness saying the fire got him, as well as evidence suggesting it was an accident with birthday candles. My Captain at the time wanted the case closed fast, give peace to Ben’s family, a hunch isn’t exactly evidence so I kept my mouth shut.”

“Did you know his family?” Tony asked. 

“Met his wife a few times, they were only married a year, May I think her name was. Never liked her, something about her eyes weren't right. He was taking care of his nephew, Peter, after the boy’s parents died when he was a baby. Fun kid, loved hanging around the station, but I haven’t seen him since the fire.” He paused for a moment thinking back on the memory, a faint smile flashed across his face. Tony guessed Peter was born with the likable charm, it was probably even more potent when the kid was younger, since he managed to win the heart of the hard boiled Lieutenant.

Anderson soon looked back up at Tony. “So, you telling me your business or not?” Anderson said drawing the conversation back to Tony’s motives.

“Peter was actually selected for an internship with me, he’s a brilliant kid but some of his behaviors raised red flags.”

Anderson face drew mixed emotions, pride from knowing the kid he once knew grew up to get a career opening opportunity, but also confusion at the mention of red flags. He furrowed his eyebrows, “What kind of flags?”

“Ones that might suggest an abusive home…” He said quietly.

“And how’s this connect with Ben’s death?” The Lieutenant asked cautiously, but anger welled inside of him at the thought of Peter in an abusive home, even more at the thought of May being the one to cause the boy’s pain.

Tony pulled out one of his Stark Phones before using it to project the scanned mental files of May Parker. “Read, you might come to the same conclusion.”

Tony just watched as the older man scanned the files, his eyes slowly narrowed as he got to the end of it.

“You think...?” The man trailed off. 

“It’s more then just think at this point, I’ve seen how she manipulates the kid. Knowing her type, I have no doubt that she had something to do with the fire. When I confronted the kid to show I was on his side…” Tony sighed as he pinched the bridge of his nose, “I screwed it up, he dropped ties with me and the internship then disappeared for two weeks earlier this month.”

Anderson was about to snap at Tony for screwing up the opportunity, but was interrupted.

“Did you say earlier this month?” Another man said as he approached the two, he had two coffees in hand and handed one to the Lieutenant.

“Mr. Stark, this is my partner Detective Octen, the little bastard has probably been eavesdropping,” Despite the harsh words the Lieutenant spoke fondly of the Detective.

“I have, yes,” Octen said bluntly. “When did you say Peter left?”

“Connor it’s not connected,” Anderson said quickly, there was no way that Ben Parker’s nephew, practically son, was anything like Nor.

But now thinking, it had nearly been a decade, who knew what kind of things May Parker put in the boy’s head.

“It could be,” The Detective insisted.

“Sorry, what is this?” Tony asked. 

“Drug trafficking in Brooklyn has started to rise within the recent months, most couriers were lowlifes, one time uses, but between the 3rd and the 15th we were getting rumors of one that was reliably used,” Octen said before taking a sip of the steaming coffee. 

“So, you wanted to catch the guy since he’d know more than the others?” Tony asked.

“Correct,” Octen nodded.

“Well, how’s that going?” 

Octen winced, “We caught him, but as you can see by the secondary door, it was not completely successful.”

“Wait, you’re telling me some drug courier did that?” Tony said pointing to the door behind him with his thumb. 

“Strange kid that one, goes by the name Nor. He ran through the officers blocking the door like some kind of ninja,” Anderson started scratching his chin as he spoke.

“No to mention he jumped over a fifteen foot gap between rooftops, I tried to follow but my footing slipped when I reached then other side. I would have fell if Nor hadn’t saved me,” Octen said distantly as he took a drink. 

Right, that is undoubtedly Peter. God, Tony only hates May more now that he knows she forced him to traffic drugs during those two weeks. Now Peter’s on the wrong side of the law and if he doesn't play his cards right he’ll undoubtedly get Peter stuck in a juvenile detention center.

Peter would need to testify if he wanted to get May for child abuse, that was definitely not happening with how things currently stood, and he only has circumstantial evidence that pegs May as being a murderer. That’s not enough to get her legally arrested, if anything it would blow up in his face and he’d get looked at as the bad guy by the media. He really hated his fame sometimes.

“Doesn't sound like the kid I know,” Tony lied, well sorta a half lie. A Spider-Man sparingly using his powers could do those things, but not Peter Parker, normal high schooler.

“Sounds to me like he’s not giving you his whole story, so how would you be sure of that?” Anderson asked, despite hopping that Stark was right.

“Look,” Tony said firmly. “If this is him, then he’s being forced to do it. He doesn't have a choice.”

“Do you have a picture of him? I’ve seen his face, I can reliably identify him.” Octen said. 

Tony was hesitant, as the two looked at him expectantly. 

“Surly you keep track of intern’s with ID cards,” Anderson said after a moment. He needed to know if Nor was Peter, it put the entire case in a different light.

Tony took in a breath before speaking in a low voice, “Please, he’s a good kid. I don’t want his name in the file.” 

“Mr. Stark we can't just-” Octen was interrupted as Anderson stopped him.

“What’s got you so interested in this kid anyways, what do you gain from it?” Anderson asked cautiously, he had a feeling he was stepping into some suspension worthy waters if Nor was Peter. He needed to know Stark was on the kids side for good reason.

Tony was a bit taken back by the question, he never actually asked himself that, but it looks like he’s going to have to give an honest answer if he wanting these two on Peter’s side. Though, unbeknownst to him, Anderson already was.

He glanced between the two before giving an answer, he didn’t like how vulnerable he felt in that moment especially since these were relative strangers, every instinct of his was telling him to put on a sly smile and bullshit his way through the rest of the conversation, but that would do nothing to help Peter.

“I hand picked him for the internship, but until last month I hadn’t interacted with him much, he’d forgotten his ID and was almost kicked out of the building when I decided to invite him up to my lab. He worked there after school for the rest of the week, I became his mentor at some point…” he trailed off, “He’s a good kid…” he whispered, “He deserves a better life than living with a fucked up Aunt who forces him to do this illegal shit, because I know for a fact that this is killing him on the inside. All he’s ever wanted to do was help people, make the world a better place.”

Anderson just looked at Tony for a long moment before finally speaking, “Spoken like a true father,” he said almost impressed. He hardly expected Stark of all people to give an honest answer, and after years of dealing with crooks and conmen he could tell Stark’s response was genuine. 

“I wouldn’t go that far,” Tony muttered.

Anderson laughed, “Looks like you already have.”

“Mr. Stark, the picture please?” Octen asked gently. 

Tony bit the inside of his cheek as he opened his phone, FRIDAY, the sweet girl, already had Peter’s ID photo pulled up. He handed it off to the two.

Octen glanced up at Tony, “This is definitely Nor,” he gave Tony an apologetic look.

“Dammit,” Tony mumbled, he spoke before Anderson had the change to make the same cures. They both were really hoping that it was all was a coincidence, but when has the universe ever been so kind?

“Connor, we’re keeping this off the record,” Anderson said quietly, he felt a sense of duty for Ben to give Peter a chance to get out of this.

The Detective just nodded.

* * *

 

Tony had left his phone number with the two officers, they promised if there was any ‘Nor’ activity then Tony would be the first to know.

Just as they promised they left Peter out of the files, Tony had FRIDAY closely watching the precinct’s database just in case, but the two seemed trustworthy, though he still was going to remain cautious around them.

The next week passed calmly. Spider-Man continued his patrols, if not slightly less frequently than usual, and FRIDAY informed Tony of the Homecoming dance. 

He assumed the kid was slowing his heroing for preparation for the school event. 

It wasn’t till that Thursday that FRIDAY told him the school had received word from May that Peter would be moving… to Texas of all places. 

Tony didn’t believe a word of that, he just hopped that Peter was still in the city. 

He got his answer that Saturday.

**11:55AM**

**Anderson: Nor was spotted.**

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Right, I didn't expect Connor and Hank to become plot characters but I'd planed for Tony to meet Ben's old partner and well... Hank was there and it made things a little more interesting for the same officer that was going after Nor to also be the old partner of Ben.
> 
> So... um, you'll be seeing these two a lot.
> 
> Sorry if you have no idea who these character's are but don't worry, it won't effect anything in this story if you don't.


	18. Chapter 18

Peter fell back into the routine of the courier easily, strangely enough it was less stressful than when he lived with May, despite the fact there were more guns involved.

After Peter went on jobs he only got better, he was good at learning from mistakes and ensuring they never happened again.

He got better at running through the streets on the ground instead of swinging or resorting to rooftop chaises. He’d avoid long paths keeping more of a zigzag pattern, and when he found that he couldn’t do that he’d resort to running though largely populated areas.

Avoiding a bullet was his top priority in those situations. He didn’t see the Detective or Lieutenant much after the first encounter, he was mostly chased by patrol cops, none of them were nearly as skilled at the Detective so he usually shook them within minutes. Especially now that he’d come to know the streets a lot better.

Every back alley, drainage tunnels, and abandoned buildings were added to his mental map.

He was quick, efficient, and always on time. He didn’t ask questions or give answers, he followed the coordinates texted to him.

He wore his mask more, even found a pair of dark tinted wrap around goggles to cover his eyes as he started getting higher priority jobs, those usually meant he’d be dealing with people who had actual influence in the crime world, that made them more dangerous. Last thing he needed was for those kind of people getting familiar with his face, he wasn’t going to take anymore chances.

Soon his assigned territory explained, but he remained in Brooklyn.

John eventually traded Peter’s flip phone for what looked like a pager, it felt like he was reverting in technology, but Peter didn’t care, he had a job to do and he’d do it to the best of his _human_ abilities. He learned not to use his spider abilities last time, he almost got an officer killed.

Peter lost track of the days, but he always knew what time it was. He hardly went back to John’s apartment during that time since the pager would give him exact addresses, so there was no need for the cipher.

The underground world of crime made New York feel like an entirely different city and as what Peter suspected were months passed, the feeling of guilt seemed to fade, in fact everything faded, there was no misery, no sadness, not even anger. There was only the next job, school, and doing whatever it took to not get caught.

With the lack of Spider-man on the streets the crime rate took a sharp rise, strangely enough that only seemed to help Peter, well he was more Nor now, no one had called him Peter since the Homecoming dance.

With the cops focused on other crimes there weren't nearly as many on the lookout for gang couriers.

Peter currently found himself sitting in a hideout, it was an abandoned train station that hadn’t been used since the 30s. It was mostly used by the homeless, kids to be more accurate, anywhere ranging from young teens to mid twenties.

The current area he was in was mostly occupied by the older of the demographic, the younger kids probably found the atmosphere too frightening, plus they weren't exactly welcomed by the older crowd. Especially since this particular setup was more similar to a bar if anything.

All sorts of alcohol for the teens if they had the money, no ID required, but Peter didn’t care. He was fine with a bottle of soda, plus he couldn’t afford to find out what alcohol did to his enhanced senses. He was waiting for his next job, there was always one that was at midnight, he just had to wait here till then. There was not many other places he could be, not in public that is.

This place was safe enough, it beat sitting alone in some run down building, and it was interesting to hear the conversations between the others in the bar.

Peter sat in a dark corner of the already dimly lit area, there were miss matched Christmas lights strung across the low ceiling that added to the odd atmosphere. If Ned were here, well, Peter might actually murder someone if his friend somehow ended up in a place like this, but hypothetically if he was, he’d make a comment about Peter totally being Han Solo.

Peter smiled at the thought as he took a swig of cherry soda. He watched a small group of teens walk in, the oldest looked 17 while the youngest was probably 13.

It wasn’t uncommon to see other teens group up into ‘gangs’ of their own, safety in numbers was an unspoken rule that could save you life. Peter never found any need to join, he was doing fine on his own and he wasn’t here to make friends… though, the group started glancing towards him, he had suspicious that they might have different ideas.

He decided to listen close with his sensitive hearing.

“See, Red? See? I told you he’d be here.” Said the youngest in an excited whisper.

“Yeah, didn’t expect the guy to be a regular here of all places,” Said the oldest who was previously named Red, Peter wondered if that was his real name, probably not. “Charley, go talk to him,” Red said to a dark haired girl who wore ripped jeans and a leather jacket. She reminded Peter of MJ with her sassy stance.

God, he missed his friends.

“Why me?” Charley huffed.

“Because I said so, now go,” Red said lightly pushing her in the direction of Peter, he pretended not to notice.

Red and the youngest went over to the bar while Charley walked over to Peter.

He looked up when he saw her approaching. He didn’t have his goggles or mask on but his hood was pulled over his head, his face was plain, vacant. A lack of emotion that he’d learn to keep despite how he really felt. Though, lately he hardly felt anything, so it wasn’t much of an act.

Charley walked over to the tall table Peter sat at before leaning her arms on it lazily. He didn’t sense any threat from her, but he still glanced down at her body for any weapons, probably would have been taken as him checking her out.

Charley seemed to smirk, “You’re Nor aren't you?”

Peter just took of drink of his soda.

“Oh, right, you don’t talk. That’s alright, how about you listen,” She said tilting her head.

 _‘No promises there, lady, there’s a conversation across the room about thermodynamics that’s quite interesting.’_ Peter thought to himself, the conversation in question was being discussed by two college dropouts that were probably high, but that only made it more interesting.

With no response from Peter she continued, “So, my gang and I-”

Peter just rolled his eyes, they were trying to recruit him.

“Come on hear me out,” Charley huffed.

Peter reluctantly motioned for her to continue. Most people were more willing to leave once they’ve said what they want.

“We were wondering if you wanted to join us on a heist, you’d get your share of course, but your the best runner out there and we need one more man to draw the cops away.” She finished.

Peter didn’t care, he took the last sip of his drink as he hopped down from the tall stool. He just dropped the bottle in the trash as he made his way to the exit.

He walked down the stairs into the narrow tiled hallway that lead to the rest of the abandoned station when he heard footsteps approach from behind.

Peter’s spider sense gave a gentle warning.

_Contact, shoulder._

Who ever it was tried to grab his shoulder, but Peter twisted around suddenly pinning them to the wall with his arm pressed against their throat.

It was Red, the guy looked surprised by the sudden position.

“Look man, this is a big job, we got fencers already set up and there’s a delivery heading out tomorrow, with you it’ll be an easy job,” Red said surprisingly calm once he’d regain composure.

Peter just glared at him, he pushed Red back against the wall before pulling out his pen and snatching the other teen’s wrist in his grip. Red tried pulling away but to no avail.

Peter wrote a short ‘no’ on the other’s hand.

“Nor, come on, this will make bank, you won’t have to work for months after this.”

Alright, now this guy was just getting annoying. ‘I work alone,’ he added next to the ‘no.’

Wow, he was really acting like Han Solo now.

Suddenly Peter’s pager went off.

He immediately let go of Red’s wrist as he pulled it out reading the address.

Done with Red, he just walked. He was glad to know that Red didn’t follow this time.

* * *

 

“Tony, just calm down, ok? There’s nothing you can do for him right now, just let the police do their jobs,” Pepper tried to say soothingly, as she lightly rubbed Tony’s back in attempts to calm him

They both sat on the couch of the Manhattan penthouse, Tony had his head in his hands. He was glad only Pepper was there to see him this vulnerable.

“It’s been two months Pepper!” Tony said suddenly sitting up to lean against the back of the couch, “He’s out there, somewhere, forced to do something illegal. What if Anderson and Octen aren't the ones to find him? What if he’s already in someone's custody about to be sent to a juvenile detention center?” Tony exclaimed.

He’d been using every resource he had except for the Iron Man suit. He wanted to use it desperately but it was too public, it could get himself, and more importantly, Peter, into more trouble than it was worth.

Whatever gang Peter was working for he was sure they didn’t want a courier attracting the eye of Iron Man, it might get him killed if anyone found out.

“We can get him the best lawyer, surly there's a way we can prove May Parker is forcing him,” Pepper suggested.

Tony suddenly stood up, “There’s nothing! There’s literally nothing! I’ve looked everywhere, hacked into every database and every camera feed, there is absolutely nothing that suggests she’s anything other than the sweet lady act she's been putting on. The only thing I can incriminate her of is not being in Texas, but there’s nothing illegal about that!” Tony yelled as he started to pace the room. He gripped his left wrist tightly as he flexed his hand. “Peter’s the only one that can prove anything… but he won’t even talk,” He meant that both figuratively and literally.

Pepper gave a sad sigh as she stood up.

She was the only one Tony had been talking about this with, at first he thought he was just meddling in some poor kids life but now that she’s seen the files and the circumstances, she wants Peter found just as much as Tony.

She walked over to Tony as she took both her hands wrapping them around his own. Tony’s mind had been wandering, eyes darting around the room, it took him a moment to focus his gaze on her.

“Remember, he hasn’t completely disappeared. There’s still reports of Nor right? At least you know he’s ok,” There wasn’t much positive to the situation, but with the reports of Nor and the dangerous people he was being associated with, any news was good news when the kid could potentially end up dead.

“Is he even getting enough to eat? What about where he sleeps? Is it safe?” Tony muttered mostly to himself.

He didn’t remember when he suddenly cared so much for the kid, maybe it was gradual? Or it had always been there, just hadn’t surfaced till now?

Next thing he knew he was holding Pepper close with his head buried in the crook of her neck.

“I should have just confronted May, I should have done something sooner. I was too distracted by the god awful accords that I didn’t even notice anything when I first met them,” He whispered.

Pepper just rubbed his back gently, “You’ll save him Tony, I know you will,” Her voice was determined, and held the authority of Stark Industries current CEO.

He almost believed her, but there was still doubt. “I wish I had your confidence in this,” He replied with a desperate laugh.

“Tony Stark without confidence? That’s a first,” She joked lightly.

Tony gave a small laugh, but his chest was still tight with worry for Peter.

He could honestly admit that he didn’t even care about Spider-Man anymore, he just wanted Peter to have a better life.

It was later that night as he sat in the penthouse workshop trying to focus on his nanotech suit that he received a text.

**Octen: Nor is in custody**

* * *

 

Peter sat there in the police cruiser glaring at Red who sat by the other door, both were in handcuffs, and Red had a guilty look.

Peter let out a heavy sigh after the other teen glanced over at him.

Everything was going fine at first when Peter headed off to the pickup. He grabbed the package, he didn’t care to figure out what it was, then he started heading off to the next destination.

He immediately noticed a presence following him, the ‘gang’ that tried to recruit him were on his tail. They really wouldn’t take no for an answer. Usually he’d just bolt so he could lose them in a chaise but the streets were littered with patrol cars, there were rumors of some big deal going down between two mob bosses in Brooklyn.

So running would only attract attention.

He tried to shake them but they weren't taking the same precautions that he was, meaning as they ran across the streets after him they were bound to get noticed, which they did.

Peter barely managed to hide the package before four patrol cars surrounded them. He used webbing to stick it to the side of a building, high up out of the light you couldn’t see it if you weren't looking.

But unfortunately that meant he only had two hours to get out of police custody. If the webbing dissolved before he could get there then the package would fall more than likely damaging what was in it.

He had a paperclip tucked under his collar but getting the cuffs off now wouldn’t be very useful, he was still stuck in the back of a police car. Busting through the window was an option but that would give him two witnesses seeing him use inhuman strength, he could probably fool the police officer but with Red sitting in the back with him, he wasn’t going to risk it.

He didn’t know the guy, he could talk. Nor can’t be known as inhuman.

It wasn’t long till they pulled up to the Brooklyn precinct.

Peter only grew increasingly nervous as he and Red were lead to, what the officer with them referred to as, the photo booth.

It was only Red and him since the others were able to get away with the cops more focused on Nor more than anything else.

“Ah, shit, I’ve never gone this far into custody before. Or, at least, you know the part where they get your picture,” Red said plainly, but he wasn’t nearly as good as Peter in hiding his emotions.

Peter was absolutely freaking out, blood was one thing, even if they collected it or not there was no way I could be traced back to Peter Parker, but his face, _his face_ , it was only a matter of time before he’d be recognized.

Then his friends would find out. Would they be disappointed? Confused? Worried? Hurt?

Any chance of a good college would be thrown out the window, though he knew he probably wouldn’t go, but it was still a dream he hoped was possible.

But now?

With his face in the system and Peter Parker connected to Nor, he doubt he'd ever get any good colleges or jobs when the law finds out he’s the crime world’s favorite courier.

He was first in line for the picture, he tried to to wince as he prepared himself, but just before it was taken a voice interrupted.

“Hold on there Joe,” Said a gruff tone.

Peter glanced up seeing the Lieutenant that had taken him in last time, he was really hoping the guy didn’t want revenge. Not that Peter couldn’t take it.

Funny thing was about being out on his own, he was eating way more than what May ever feed him. It was surprising how well his body improved when more properly fed, he wasn’t eating nearly as much as he should to accommodate for his enhanced metabolism but it was nearly twice as much as May fed him. The effect quickly showed in his abilities, he could now take punches that usually left him a little winded if aimed at the stomach or chest, not to mention his healing factor increased.

So he was completely prepared for whatever this Lieutenant had in store.

Or, so he thought.

He was dumbfounded to see Tony Stark walk through the door as the other officer left.

“You’re wanted by Iron Man!?” Red said shocked, almost horrified. He was probably starting to regret following Peter.

“Can we get him out of here?” Mr. Stark asked the Lieutenant quietly, Red couldn’t hear the whispers but Peter’s hearing easily picked it up.

“Afraid not, sneaking you in was hard enough, the others will get suspicious if we send that one out,” Anderson said quietly.

Mr. Stark just sighed, “Alright fine.” He then walked over to Peter standing in front of him. Peter looked down at his shoes but made sure to keep the plain expression.

“Kid, will you at least look at me?” Mr. Stark asked, he almost sounded relieved. Was it because he was glad to see Peter?

Probably not, Peter was never so lucky to have someone care about him like that, least of all Mr. Stark. He was probably just glad that Peter was finally in custody so he couldn’t use his spider powers to hurt anyone.

The thought made him feel spiteful of Mr. Stark’s presence. He looked up at the man with a glare, he didn’t expect the concern on the man’s face or the fact that he raised his hands up to sign.

‘Are you alright? Are you hurt?’ the man asked.

Peter couldn’t help but looked down at Mr. Stark’s hands confused, had he always known ASL or did he just learn it?

Luckily Peter’s hands were cuffed in front of him, the cuffs jangled as he signed, ‘yeah I’m fine, why are you here?’ He asked quickly returning his expression to a scowl.

He could feel his own heart beat violently against his chest, he couldn’t really process the concern Mr. Stark was showing. Was it real? Was it an act? Was he just trying to give Peter a false sense of safety just so he could rip it away later to watch Peter’s suffering?

Whatever the reason, it didn’t matter. The only thing that did was if May found out Peter was in the same room at Mr. Stark, she wouldn’t be happy and his friends might end up getting hurt because of him.

‘For you. I’ve been worried,’ Mr. Stark signed. ‘You’re on the wrong side of the law, this isn’t you, why are you doing this?’

‘That’s none of your business,’ Peter replied. He stared scanning the room out of the corner of his eye, maybe he could use this as an escape? If they had to sneak Mr. Stark in that probably meant the cameras of the room were being interfered with by FRIDAY.

“Look, I want to help you, but I can’t if you don’t let me,” Mr. Stark sighed as be pinched the bridge of his nose.

‘I don’t need help.’

“Understatement of the century,” Tony said in a half hearted laugh. ‘I know May is not what she seems Peter,’ he signed, ‘but I don’t have any evidence to prove she’s done anything.’

Peter just narrowed his eyes, but a part of him was desperate to reach out, to tell the genius, maybe even speak.

But it was quickly crushed by Aunt May’s threat, he’d gladly suffer through life if it meant the safety of his friends. Not that he knew any other life to begin with, he was used to the suffering.

‘I also have my suspicions of the fire,’ Mr. Stark started, but before he could say anymore Peter reacted.

Peter didn’t know what came over him, all he knew was NO ONE was EVER supposed to talk about that night. It shouldn’t be mentioned, not even thought of. Anxiety rose in his chest making it painfully tight.

He heard the click of a gun behind him and just now realized he had Tony Stark pinned to the wall with his arm resting on his neck. There was no pressure, the man could easily talk and breath, but it was a threat.

Mr. Stark just held his hands up in surrender, but he didn’t looked worried or surprised by Peter’s reaction.

“Everything’s alright, kid, just calm down, ok?” Mr. Stark said gently.

Peter didn’t realize how uneven his breathing got.

He suddenly pushed away from Mr. Stark, leaving the man to straighten his suit. Peter glanced behind him to see Anderson lowering a gun, his eyes then wandered to Red who had been watching the entire scene. His eyes were wide but he remained quite.

Peter took the opportunity to put his hand to his neck in what the others might have thought was an anxious tick, when in reality he was using his uncontrolled outburst to his advantage. He slipped the hidden paperclip into his palm. He needed to get out of there, he only had forty minutes left till the webbing dissolved.

He kept his breathing uneven, he never had to fake an anxiety attack but at least he had the experience to know how to. He took a few steps to face the far wall of the room, everyone else could only see his back. He started to quietly unlock the handcuffs.

“I only want to help you, I want to get you out of all this,” Mr. Stark only took a small step towards Peter but decided to give him his space.

If he was really having an anxiety attack he would have appreciated the effort, but unfortunately unbeknownst to Mr. Stark, it was the wrong move.

The cuffs were off, but he kept his hand together, he glanced over at Mr. Stark, then the Lieutenant, who was no longer blocking the door. He must have moved during Peter’s outburst.

Peter must have been staring too long because Anderson’s expression changed to suspicion.

Without waiting a second longer, Peter bolted towards the door. He felt a slight tug on his hoodie as Anderson’s fingers barely missed it as he ran out the door.

He was out in the hall now, so he needed to think fast. Mr. Stark came through that door meaning there’s a back exit somewhere around here.

He didn’t recognize the halls, he definitely wasn’t here last time. He could hear the rushed steps of Anderson behind him but Peter spotted the exit signs that lead him to the back alley behind the precinct.

Bursting through the door he ran into someone heavy, they both fell to the ground and Peter recognized Mr. Stark’s driver, Happy, before he scrambled to get up.

He heard Anderson run out the doors just behind him but it was too late, Peter was already over the fence.

He only had thirty-five minutes till the webbing dissolved, he didn’t have time to worry about what Mr. Stark thought or if Happy was ok. He needed to get to the package.


	19. Chapter 19

Peter burst through the door of John’s apartment, the man was sitting at the table looking over the ciphered map. 

He only raised an eyebrow slightly at Peter’s entrance but soon went back to work as he etched down coordinates on a small piece of paper.

“Sounds like someone had a fun night, heard you got picked up by the cops again. Didn’t think you’d be back,” He said plainly as he continued his work.

Peter walked over to the fridge pulling it open. He grabbed a few of the ham sandwiches he’d made a few days ago. During his idle moments while in John’s apartment he always felt the need to be useful.

He always did the dishes, he cleaned the apartment, even went out to get groceries as well as prepare meals to be stored in the fridge, neither of them had reliable eating schedules so preparing meals that could be refrigerated then eaten cold or microwaved later was the best approach. 

His efforts in cleaning made the entire apartment look pretty decent compared to before, though it still lacked the homely touch of personal items and pictures. Despite how much Peter wanted it to be, it was no home, he was pretty sure John thought that to.

It was more of a work space you live in. He wondered if John even had a home other then the apartment, he’d never seen the man leave for extended periods of time so he strongly suspected no. 

Peter walked over to the table then fell into the chair just in front of John on the other side of the table, he aggressively tore into the plastic wrap of the sandwich before eating. 

He was angry, exhausted, and to hyped up on adrenaline to go to sleep any time soon. He was barely in time to catch the package before it hit the ground, and he was way past his delivery time.

He had a few guns pointed at him because of it, if it weren't for running out of the club as quick he did he’d probably be dead in some alley with a bullet in his back… well, more like bleeding out slowly. His enhanced body would still attempt to fight against death with everything it could. 

That image probably shouldn't have bothered him, but his only thoughts about it were ‘ _ Shame, could have gotten out of this hell of a life.’ _

“Moody much?” John asked as he watched Peter devour the second sandwich.

Peter just let out a heavy sigh along with a wave of a hand as if if to say ‘leave it, I’m fine.’ John just responded with a shrug. 

“Whatever you say,” he muttered, “Anyways, with the cops adding patrols, and now your newest arrest, you’ll be taking a break for awhile. Might be a few days, maybe a few weeks, not sure yet,” John slowly got up with the paper in hand as he took his cane which was leaning next to the table. He started limping his way into his bedroom. 

Peter only tapped the table in a sign of understanding to his words. 

Maybe it was better he laid low for awhile, he hadn’t realized Mr. Stark was looking for him. He thought they ended things with the internship, he really couldn’t understand why the man was still trying to reach out to Peter. Peter couldn’t give him anything he wanted, the guy was a genius and a billionaire, anything he’d ever want or need he could buy or build. 

Was he after information? For the mobs he couriered for? Well he did say he wanted to help Peter and the mention of the fire… he probably wanted information on May. Was he trying to make a mutual deal? 

He helps Peter if Peter give him information?

Peter just sighed as he looked down at the empty plastic wrappers that sat on the table near the edge of the map.

Either way, it didn’t matter. He didn’t want help, he was fine with how he was. He was keeping his friends safe and that’s all that mattered. Though, he’ll admit he was glad for the break. He barely had enough time to sleep as he dealt with the jobs and his own homeschooling.

He just sat there for a long while as he looked at the map, he wasn’t really focused on it as he aloud his thoughts to wander to comforting memories of MJ and Ned. He wasn’t sure why, but the memory of how he met MJ was the first that came to mind. 

_ “Hey, you!” MJ shouted as she walked over to Peter.  _

_ He knelt on the ground as he gathered his books and papers that Flash Thompson had recently knocked to the ground. First day back from winter break and he already ran into the school bully, judging by the angry tone and aggressive stance of the girl in front of him, he may have just run into another. _

_ He looked up at the girl standing over him with a bit of nervousness. He tried to read her expression, but it was on the border of apathy and annoyance. Whether towards him or something else he couldn’t tell in that moment.  _

_ “Someone knock those out of your hand?” She asked accusingly. _

_ Peter was a little taken back but nodded quickly as he gathered up the last papers before he quickly stood up.  _

_ “It was Flash wasn’t it?” She asked raising an eyebrow. _

_ Again Peter nodded.  _

_ “He’s a dick, so whatever he’s said don’t take it to heart,” She scoffed as she glared off to a small crowd, Flash was included in it. She narrowed her eyes at the back of Flash’s head before turning back to Peter. “Names MJ, by the way. You’re the kid that can’t talk right?” _

_ Peter just furrowed his eyebrow as he nodded, he then scrambled to pull out his new phone. He got it over the break, though, May was sure to tell him it wasn’t a Christmas present, he didn’t deserve those. He only had it so she could get in contact with him whenever she wanted. _

_ <My name is Peter Parker> Spoke the text to speech app. It was one of the first apps he ever downloaded on the phone, he hadn’t even gotten around to changing the backgrounds yet.  _

_ “PeterPeterPeter!” Ned said rushing over to Peter. “Star Wars: The Force Awakens! THE FORCE AWAKENS!! They made a 7th one, oh my god, I might just die!” _

_ <This is my best friend Ned, Ned this is MJ.> _

_ “Oh, uh, hi?” Ned said awkwardly.  _

_ “Sup,” MJ said with a upwards nod. _

_ Shortly after introductions the bell rang.  _

_ “Anyways, see ya at lunch losers,” MJ said before walking off down one of the halls. Peter and Ned watched as she smacked Flash upside the head as she passed him, he protested something but Peter couldn’t tell what it was. He almost wished he had super hearing so he could hear Flash’s response as MJ walked away with her middle finger held high.  _

_ “You invited her to lunch?” Ned asked curiously.  _

_ <Um, no, I think she just invited herself.> Peter typed as he tilted his head slightly. He watched as the strange girl walked out of sight. He wasn’t even bothered by the fact he’d be seeing her again later. _

Peter’s head hit the table with a quiet thunk and he quickly jerked awake. He sighed rubbing his eyes, now was as good a time as any to get some sleep. He slowly stood up stretching before he grabbed his trash to throw away. He walked over to the small closet he called a room before falling into the cot.

* * *

 

“How’s Peter? Did you talk to him? Is everything ok?” Pepper asked quickly as Tony walked through the elevator of the penthouse. Though she could immediately sense his frustration as he headed straight to the stairs that lead to the shop.

“Nothing's changed! I’ll tell you more later!” He yelled up the stairs, his frustration with now confirmed in his tone. 

She sighed as she heard the workshop door slam shut. She soon walked over to the kitchen as she prepared a cup of tea.

It was about an hour later that he came back into the living room, Pepper had a book in her hands and a half full cold cup of tea sitting on the small table next to the loveseat she was curled up in. At some point she had fallen asleep with the book resting in her lap, her fingers loosely wrapped around the binding. 

Of course she still enjoyed physical copies of books, despite knowing for a fact she had this exact copy on her digital library. 

Tony looked at her for a moment, wondering how he got lucky enough to convince her to marry him… though, the wedding date had been postponed till he could solve the situation with Peter. 

He was luckier still that she actually agreed to that.

He quietly approached her before gently moving the book to the side table, then maneuvering himself so he could pick her up. 

He took her to their room before laying her down in bed, it was then she shifted awake. 

“Sorry, tried to do that without you waking up,” He said with a small laugh. He knelt down next to the bed so he was eye level with her. He then lightly pushed some loose hair out of her face. 

Who knew Tony Stark would end up with someone as wonderful as her. 

“What am I, 5? You didn’t have to carry me to bed,” She said with a small frown. 

“You barely get any sleep lately,” he cupped her cheek in his palm.

“Neither did you,” She replied putting her hand on top of his.

“Yeah,” he gave a tired laugh.

“What happened at the police station?” She asked quietly, any sleep in her eyes from before was gone and replaced with a focus that proved he had her full attention. 

He let out a heavy breath before explaining the events earlier that night. 

“I thought I was so close, I thought he would let me in,” His voice was barely above a whisper and he felt Pepper pull him into a small hug. 

“Tony, he’s been with this woman almost his entire life… he probably doesn't know what it’s like for someone to care for him, let alone be able to recognize it.” 

There was a small moment of silence between the two as Pepper just held Tony. She gently started to run her fingers soothingly throughout his hair. Eventually they shifted so they both laid in bed with their arms wrapped around each other.

After what was probably half an hour, Tony was the one to break the silence. 

“Pep?” He spoke in a low tone. 

“Hm?”

“If… somehow, Peter finally gets away from May, he won’t have anywhere to go…”

Pepper shifted her head on the pillow so she could look Tony in the eyes.

“I know you don’t think I’d be a good father-”

“I never said that,” She interrupted, “I just didn’t think you were ready,” She said quietly as she gently put a hand on his neck rubbing circles into his jaw.

“And now?” He asked quietly.

“You’ve proved me wrong,” she smiled. “I’d be more than happy to let Peter join our family.”

Tony just grinned at her thankfully as he pulled her close, “I don’t deserve someone like you.”

* * *

 

The week past, Peter had never had so much reliable sleep since, well, ever. The guilt of not going out as Spider-Man wasn’t nearly as strong as he thought it would be, but he still thought he should take the opportunity to go out some.

It’d be nice to feel the wind in his face as he swung through the city, actually help people again. He hoped that the feeling from helping someone hasn’t faded with everything else.

He had to sneak back into May’s apartment to grab his homemade suit, it was easy enough getting the window of his room open and with the added luck of May not being there he changed quickly before heading out.

Being Spider-Man was just as good as he remembered it, he helped where he could. Stopping a child from getting hit by a car, averted a robbery, helping an old lady up the stairs to her apartment building. He really did miss it, but he felt slightly uncomfortable in the brightly colored suit. Something about it he just didn’t like anymore.

As he stood atop a roof he watched over the street below, he wouldn’t mind being Spider-Man all the time if he was being honest. 

A morbid thought crossed his mind. 

What if he killed Peter Parker? Maybe then he could always be Spider-Man.

With his current line of work it wouldn't be that hard to fake his death, but providing a body might be difficult. 

Pros would be getting away from May, not having to participate in illegal activity, his friends would no longer be in danger, and he could commit full time to being Spider-Man, helping more people than he ever had before. 

But then there were the cons, he couldn’t see his friends again, they would mourn for him, he’d never finish school, and Mr. Stark would still know it’s him. 

Well, there weren't nearly as many cons as he expected, but the one concerning Mr. Stark was his biggest problem. Maybe take up a new identity? He’d be a different hero but he’d still be helping people, he’d need to figure out on how to change his fighting style, as well as make the appearance of the new hero not coincide with his faked death, Mr. Stark would figure it out immediately if he didn’t do it right. 

Peter continued to think of the plan as he headed back to May’s apartment, his thoughts were interrupted by when spidey sense spiked in warning, signifying May was home. 

He snuck in quietly, before taking off his suit. Just as he was about to hide it back in the crawl space above his room. 

He nearly jumped onto the ceiling as the blasting trumpets of the opening Star Wars theme rang out through the room. He was confused and panicked as he tried looking for the source, until he remembered that was the ringtone to his phone. 

The device was sitting on his dresser, he was surprised the thing still had power after the months of neglect.

But he didn’t have long to think about his phone’s battery life. Almost immediately his spidey sense sent a painful spike down his spine and his door was flung open. 

“What the hell are you doing here,” May practically snarled. She looked up at Peter as he stood on the chair of his desk to reach the crawl space. 

Despite knowing she was coming he still fell off of the chair in a panic as he crawled backwards away from her in fear. 

Peter didn’t answer but as she looked up at the partly closed crawl space he could see red sleeve of his suit sticking out. 

Peter’s heart rate pick up as he watched her. He felt paralyzed in her presence. 

“Oh? Hiding something are we? You know what I’ve told you,” She glared at him before stepping up on the chair.

Peter felt powerless, there was nothing he could do. If he attacked her she’d hurt his friends, if he tried to stop her any other way she’d get suspicious and look anyways.

He screwed up. 

He screwed up so bad he didn’t even know what she would do. 

He should have been more focused, he shouldn’t have let himself get surprised by his own phone of all things. 

As she tugged the crumpled up suit, pulling it down from the crawl space, a wicked smile spread across her face as she realized exactly what the fabric was.

“Oh, my dear Peter, keeping secrets?” She started to laugh, Peter only felt dread. “A big one at that,” her grin widened. 

She smiled like that cat who got the cream. She dropped the suit to the floor before walking out. 

“I’ve got a few calls to make, stay right there,” She ordered, he didn’t dare move from his position on the floor.

He wasn’t even sure he could, his body shook as he tucked his knees to his chest. He couldn’t run, he couldn’t hide, and now he couldn’t even escape as Spider-Man because she KNEW!

God, she  _ knew _ . 

He actually wished she was angry about it because the smile on her face was worse.

He could hear her calling someone from the other room, he quickly covered his ears, he didn’t want to know what it was, he was too scared to find out. 

With the small moment he had before she came back, he wanted to pretend everything was alright. That he was in his room waiting for May to go to sleep so he could sneak out to be Spider-Man, the times before the jobs, before he was taken out of school. 

He never knew he’d miss the times of ruined childhood movies, cold showers, and being locked in a closet. 

“Peter darling,” her voice chimed in a sweetness that felt more like venom.

Peter went rigid and immediately looked up at her. “You’re talents are  wasted as a courier, I have better plans for you.”

His spidey sense spiked warning him of further danger.

_ Run. _

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This ones a little shorter then usual, but I have big planes for the next chapter.


	20. Chapter 20

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Get ready ladies, gents, and everything in between. Things are about to get rough for Peter Parker, but don't worry, the boy deserves a happy ending and he will get one. It's just going to take some time, so please hold onto that hope as you read this not so lovely, but extra long chapter I've got for you.

His spidey sense was screaming at him as he sat in the back of aunt May’s car. It wasn’t to fight, or dodge, it was only telling him to  _ leave, run, get out while you can.  _ But Peter did his best to ignore it. 

He couldn’t risk disobeying, the threat towards his friends was one that constantly hung behind her commands.

She parked her car in the parking lot of a closed convenience store, they didn’t leave the apartment till nightfall so it only made sense that most things were closed at this time. With the lights off, the inside of the place looked run down, it probably wasn’t the most secure convenience store and wondered if she parked here because of the lack of cameras.

May soon got out after ordering him to follow. She took a turn away from the store as she lead him down a narrow sidewalk into the dark, there were very few street lamps lining the area and the few that existed had burnt out bulbs or flickering lights.

He trailed behind her with his head down and his heart pounding, it felt like his ribs might crack with the constriction of panic in his chest. The worst part was he didn’t know what she was up to. 

The lack of maintenance in the area made it stand out from what the rest of Queens looked liked, not even his patrols as Spider-man took him this far towards the river. His sharp nose easily picked up the smell of salt and fish before the abandoned shipping dock came into view as they turned the corner. 

A group of dark buildings sat ominously in the dim moon light.

The sharp shiver of his spidey sense grew to painful proportions as they approached one of the smaller warehouses. On the outside, it looked as abandoned as the rest of the area, but Peter’s hearing could pick up excited yelling and cheering from the inside. 

May knocked on the door before she tapped her foot impatiently, it took a few moments before someone opened the door slightly. The crowd from inside was louder than Peter initially thought, he suspected there might have been some kind of noise dampeners lining the building’s walls.

The man who stood in front of them now was a short with black greased back hair, he smiled up at May with crooked yellowing teeth. His face was round and looked squashed.

“Ah, Ms. Parker,” The man greeted, “Didn’t expect you this evening, as you can see, we are currently having a show tonight.”

“That’s fine,” She said with a faint smile, “We should take this to your office anyways, wouldn’t was this news to get out just yet. I do have something you might be interested in.”

The man raised an eyebrow before glancing at Peter, “I’d hate to refuse an offer from you,” he looked back towards May before motioning for them to follow. 

Peter gulped as May grabbed him by the arm holding him tightly, she forced Peter to walk in front of her as they walked into the crowded building. 

Everyone was gathered around a structure in the middle of the warehouse, as they got closer he could see the large caged arena with what looked like dog in the ring, though why they’d need such thick looking bars and a cage that closed over the top for those animals, Peter had a bad feeling he’d probably find out.

They walked up a set of metal stairs, passing a few spectators who used it to get a better view, Peter was able to catch a glimpse of the fight in the ring below. He watched as a large black dog bit into the leg of a brown one of similar size. The snarls and yelps rang in his ears even after the door’s of the man’s office were closed.

The room only muffled the cheering slightly, but it was more than enough to hold a normal conversation without having to yell over the crowd.

“As you can see, its a normal night, nothing too exciting, but those are hardly the VIP spectators out there,” The man said as he walked around a large desk at the far end of the room. May pushed Peter into a small couch located at the opposite end of the room from the desk just near the door.

He didn’t resist and allowed himself to fall into the dingy gray couch, he wished he could sink into the cushions and hide forever.

Looking around the room he could see papers scattered everywhere, trash and boxes lined the walls, and the room spelt so heavily of cigarettes it almost made Peter gag. He forced himself to hold it in, he didn’t even let himself cover his nose. 

“So, Ms. Parker, what was this proposition of yours?” The man said turning to face May as he leaned against the front of the desk, his eyes darted to Peter once again.

“Mr. Thomas, you’d describe yourself as a wise man, yes” May asked as she slowly walked around the room. A frown formed on Peter’s face as he realized her words sounded like the intro to a presentation.

“In my line of business I’d like to think so,” Mr. Thomas said smugly as he straightened his blue tie that was tucked under a dirty black vest.

“Well, what I’m about to tell you is going to change your game,” She grinned sweetly at the man as she wandered behind his desk. 

She was wearing a red dress, it hugged her figure and seemed to draw Mr. Thomas’s eyes to all the right places. Peter could only guess she did that on purpose.

“How so?” 

“Well,” May continued, “Imagine knowing exactly what the outcome of every single fight would be?” 

“Bookies dream, but how would you manage that?” The man asked in a tone that suggested he thought the proposition was too good to be true.

“A fighter who’s better then them all, who can take orders,” May looked directly at Peter and he tried to shrink into himself.

Mr. Thomas followed her eyesight with both of them looking at Peter he felt like a bug under a microscope, he had his suspicions on what May was suggesting, but he just  _ hoped  _ he was wrong. “I’m guessing this is not just a prized hound…” The main trailed off as he looked over Peter with slight interest. 

“A contester for the VIP games,” May circled around the desk then brushed lightly against Mr. Thomas causing his gaze to return to her.

Peter scrunched his at the sight, he’d seen it before as a courier, women using the distraction of their bodies to help move along a deal they were trying to make. He never paid any mind to it but seeing May do it in front of him was revolting.

“Big leagues, those are. You sure you got something that can handle it?” The man asked raising an eyebrow.  

“Of course, but before I tell you more about it, you’ll need to already agree to let me rent it out to you. I get fifty percent as payment,” She said sweetly.

Mr. Thomas narrowed his eyes at May, “Steep price.”

“I promise you it’ll be worth it,” She smirked. 

“If you tell me beforehand, I might be more willing,” He said cautiously. 

May just shook her head, “Either agree now, or I find a different arena, plus…” She stood next to him once again before placing a gentle hand on his shoulder, “Have I ever steered you wrong?”

Mr. Thomas thought for a moment, “No, guess you haven't.”

“So, do you agree?”

The man’s hand rested against the desk as he tapped his finger lightly, “What the hell, sure.” He grinned. 

May smiled widely back, she moved away from him again before motioning towards Peter. “I know it doesn't look like much, but this little freak will be the most powerful fighter you have.” 

Peter suddenly clenched up as he realized his hope was in vain, he was stupid to even think it wouldn’t end like this but he blamed it on the cloudiness of his panicked mind.

“Oh? And what make you say that?” Mr. Thomas asked as he walked over to get a closer look at Peter. 

“Because he’s Spider-Man,” Her eyes widened slightly at the reveal to the man.

Peter’s breath caught in his throat.

“Bullshit,” The man said in wondrous disbelief.

“Peter darling,” Peter stiffened at his name. “A demonstration please,” May continued.

Peter was frozen for a moment but a sharp glare from May forced him to stand. His legs felt like jello and he had to hold both hands to keep the shaking from showing.

“Up the wall,” She demanded. 

Peter swallowed as he glanced at the wall then back at her, he didn’t dare hesitate so he walked over. He slowly stuck his hand on the surface before he started climbing up. It wasn’t till he was on the ceiling that she told him to come down, he dropped to his feet just in front of them, toes barely making a noise on the hardwood floor.

Mr. Thomas had this evil and unsettling smile on his face. 

“There is one other condition,” She sighed as if it was an annoying inconvenience.

“Anything,” The man said, his eyes hadn’t left Peter. 

Peter didn’t like the gaze, it made him feel exposed.

“The freak is unfortunately my  _ nephew _ ,” She said the word with such distaste, “Not by blood of course, but still, I cant have his name or face being presented with those mutants out there. Can’t let myself be associated with such a disgusting freak.”

Peter winced at her words. Spider-Man wasn’t a freak… was he?

“Done,” The man replied quick enough, “I can work something out… damn, wish I could call him Spider-Man, unfortunately a show like that would get to the wrong ears. It wouldn’t be worth the extra crowd it’d draw in.”

“He’s been working courier for the Deadeyes, goes by Nor, it has enough weight to it to get some crowds in,” May reached out a hand to the man, Peter’s breathing quickly picked up but he couldn’t let the two think he was nervous

“Pleasure doing business with you Ms. Parker,” He said taking her hand. 

“It was all mine, really. This little bastard has been a pain in my side long enough, glad I finally found the perfect use for him,” She pulled her hand away before walking over to Peter, then leaned down to whisper in his ear. 

“If you don’t follow this man’s orders… I’ll make sure those friends of yours suffer more than you,” She pulled away looking back at Mr. Thomas, “He’ll be perfectly obedient.” 

Peter’s lungs froze in their movements, his head felt dizzy and his legs weak.

Was he just… sold?

Before any more thought could be put on the subject, thick metal cuffs were strapped around his wrists by Mr. Thomas, he struggled instinctively but they gave a sharp painful shock that shot through his arms and chest. His knees gave out as he stumbled to the ground.

The current from the cuffs didn’t stop, his body shook with and tensed with pain as he clenched his jaw. He barely noticed the collar that was clamped around his neck until the pain from the shock finally stopped.

It was barely loose enough against his throat to breathe, and he could feel it every time he swallowed.

“That’s a good look on you dear, should have done this sooner,” May said bending down slightly to look him in the eyes. 

Peter could feel the edge of tears in his eyes as he looked at her with pure hatred, his breath was heavy as he recovered from the massive shock from before.

May only laughed down at him, “Haven’t seen those eyes in awhile,” She reached out lightly brushing fallen hair out of his face. It was starting to get shaggy in length, he didn’t even remember the last time he had a haircut. “But let's face it, you were starting to get a little to rebellious, especially with all that sneaking out.”

Peter couldn’t help but look surprised. 

“Don’t think I didn’t notice,” She smirked. “Thought it might have been a girl, never would have guessed you were playing hero,” She pulled her hand away as she stood up. 

“I think that’ll be all Mr. Thomas,” She said turning to the short pudgy man.

“Oh, one last thing Ms. Parker. Would you mind him leaving the states? You’d still get your share of course, but I have another arena in Russia that he’d be perfect for,” Mr. Thomas said as he followed her out.

“Doesn't matter to me, as long as I get my money,” she didn’t even bother giving Peter one last look before she walked out the door.

Peter watched as Mr. Thomas closed the door of his office then walked over to his desk, he picked up the phone and hit a single button before someone picked up seconds after. 

“Send Ronny up,” He hung up the phone, the slowly walked over to Peter.

“So... you’re  _ Spider-Man. _ Got to say, you don’t look like much.” He circled around Peter as he examined him. 

Peter suddenly felt a warning from his spider sense a split second before he was kicked in the spine causing him to tumble forward.

“You know I’ve lost a lot of good men to your do gooder deeds,” He said angrily.

Peter had to roll to his side to keep his own weight from crushing his hands, and Mr. Thomas took that chance to kick him in the stomach. Peter gasped from the impact. The man then grabbed Peter by the front of the shirt to hold him up, driving a fist into the side of Peter’s face.

Before another blow could be dealt, there was a knock on the office door. “Come in!” Mr. Thomas shouted.

A large bulky man, who was probably Ronny walked him. Mr. Thomas threw Peter to the ground in the other man’s direction. 

“Take it to the cages, make sure it’s one of the reinforced, don’t want it getting out,” Mr. Thomas went back over to his desk as Ronny grabbed Peter by the link between the cuffs on his hands. “And put this on him,” Mr. Thomas tossed some kind of black cloth over to Ronny. 

Without a word the large man took it and put it over Peter’s head tightening some kind of draw string around his neck. It was a hood, Peter couldn’t tell if it was to keep his face covered or to keep him from knowing where they were going.

Ronny dragged Peter out of the office and down the metal stairs they came from. Each step sent a spike of pain down his tailbone, he clenched his jaw to keep himself from making any kind of noise as he hit the bottom step painfully.

He was dragged through what he could only guess was a door as the crowd was suddenly muffled and bright white lights shined through the black hood.

The lights disappeared as he turned right through another door, he could hear echos and chatter of different animals. Suddenly the hood was pulled off of him and he was thrown into a small cage. His head collided with the back bars and he heard the drop of the cage door as it slid down blocking him in.

After that the man left, Peter listened closely as he heard the brut footsteps fade into the distance.

It was then that he finally let himself react to the situation. He curled up in a ball as he put his head in his hands. He gasped and wheezed in panic but tried to stay as quiet as possible, he used a hand to cover his mouth as he muffled the noise. 

He hoped his frantic breathing and whimpers remained hidden under the noises of the animals in the warehouse. He couldn’t see any of them, he was probably in a different section, but he could hear them clearly.

From what he could tell there were all sorts of creatures, there was everything from barks, chirps, and roars. He recognized some of the noises as lions and bears but there was one roar that sounded to metallic for any type of creature he knew.

Unfortunately the idea of what might make that kind of noise wasn’t enough to distract him from his panic. He couldn’t find the will to control his frantic breathing and he felt himself grow light headed, he gripped the shock collar tightly trying to pull it off, but it only sent a jolt of pain through his body. His body shook as he pulled his hands away, from pain or panic he wasn’t sure.

He couldn’t comprehend his situation. May practically  _ sold  _ him, rented him out like some  _ thing, _ an object she owned and could do what she wanted with.

And now, because of his carelessness, she took away the one thing that actually mattered, Spider-Man.

He swore to use his powers to help people, to help the little guys of New York and fend off the evil of the world. Now he had to use those powers to hurt things, he dreaded the thought that he might actually kill something, or worse, someone, in his fight to survive.

In that moment he regretted so much. It was only now that he stupidly realized that Mr. Stark could have been trusted.

Now it was too late, he’d be leaving the country. At least while he was still in New York there was the false hope that he might one day see his friend again, but leaving the city crushed it completely. 

It was too late for everything, before, he was letting everything happen to him for the sake of keeping his friends safe, but now he had no power. Any choice or what little control he had was striped away the moment he let May take him to Mr. Thomas’ office.

He curled up into himself, hand clutching his hair. The pain on his scalp was nothing compared to the panic in his chest.

His vision grew blurry as he failed to get his hyperventilation under control, tears streamed down his face, he pulled his hands down over his mouth as he bit into the ball of his palm in attempts to muffle his panicked tones.

His head felt light, and his emotions were to much. With distorted reasoning he thought the best course of action was to black out.

With one hand still in his mouth, he used his other to pinch his nose, his lungs screamed for air but it wasn’t to long till his vision faded and the bars of the cage were replaced with black.

* * *

 

Peter couldn’t tell how long he was out, but when he finally opened his eyes again the once noisy warehouse full of howls and chirps was now quiet. There was no cheering from the connected building with the arena. The overhead lights were off but the warehouse was still illuminated with the soft glow of twilight seeping in through the windows.

The air was cold around him, so much so his body shivered in attempt to keep warm. He was a little more resistant to cold them most people but not by much. He wished he could wrap his arms around himself but the cuffs holding his hands together prevented that.

He took a few deep breaths as the panic started to rise in him again, he tried to push it down, he already had his freak out and he had a feeling he’d need to focus more on survival from now on, panic would be counterproductive.

A deep metallic yawn brought his attention out of the cage, he tried to look out into the rest of the warehouse to catch a glimpse of the animals he heard, but they must of been stored elsewhere in the room. The only thing he could see was old boxes and towering shelves.

He looked back in his cage, it was small, barely enough room for him to lay completely straight. There was no way to escape, he couldn’t get enough leverage to bend the bars of the cage with his cuffs, even if he could if they were heavily reinforced he wasn’t sure his strength could bend them. Not to mention he was sure the shock collar and cuffs would activate if he tried.

He tried to swallow the lump forming in his throat, he also hopped to stop the panic rising.

As he stood in the center of the cage, there was nothing he could do but wait. He was powerless to do anything else.

* * *

 

_ Three days. _

_ THREE DAYS! _

He was almost convinced he’d die of dehydration, that was until someone brought a gallon jug of water to his cage one afternoon.

He was ordered to stay near the back of the cage as they opened the door just enough to toss the jug along with a few moldy loaves of bread into the cage.

Peter didn’t care too much of the condition of the food, after nearly drinking all the water he picked off the mold on the bread before devouring it in seconds. Unfortunately, the little food that was offered wasn’t enough to stop the constant hunger pains in his stomach.

He could hear the noises and motion of people moving around the area, he never saw anyone walk past his cage, except for the woman that gave him the food, but he could hear them, and so could the other animals. They seemed more agitated from the commotion.

It wasn’t till that evening that Mr. Thomas approached his cage, “You’re shipping out tomorrow, but I’m not missing a chance to make money on you tonight.” He said bluntly.

Peter was hanging from the top of the cage as he watched Mr. Thomas cautiously. There was a faint warning from his spider sense but Peter assumed the man had a remote for the shock collar.

“So listen closely freak, you’ll be winning those first two fights tonight, the third you’re losing.”

Peter just nodded. 

“Now put these on,” the man shoved a hand full of clothes through the bars of the cage, he pulled out the remote Peter suspected he had before hitting a button. His cuffs released immediately then fell to the floor below him, Peter gently rubbed the sore flash of his wrists. “Be ready in an hour,” Mr. Thomas said before walking away.

He slowly lowered himself to the floor before examining the clothes. It was a pair of jeans, a leather jacket that zipped up asymmetrically, and a black spandex mask that went over his entire head. With the mask included a pair of wraparound tinted goggles, not unlike his old ones he used as a courier, but these were more rounded. There seemed to be no other function for them, it was probably just aesthetics.

Peter sat in the middle of the cage as he waited the hour, he had his new clothes on. He just put the jacket over his shirt but had to change pants since he was wearing sweats before.

The hour was long, he let his mind wander to memories of his friends. 

It was a small comfort to think about them, but a comfort nonetheless. It was an easy reminder that they were out there, alive and safe.

The electric whir of a forklift brought him out of thought, the machine stopped just outside his cage before positioning itself to set it’s prongs under the cage then lift. 

Peter braced himself as he held onto the bars, the cage was pulled out of its nook and driven down to the far end of the warehouse.

It was set in front of what Peter could only describe as a corral, the sliding door opened and Peter slowly stepped out. He could hear his shock collar buzz in preparation to shock, he kinda wanted to avoid that.

He followed the short path to a large gate, just behind it were murmurs and mutters of crowds. It was safe to assume this was the entrance to the arena.

The amplified voice of the announcer rang out through the area.

“DOOOO WE HAVE A SURPRISE FOR YOU LADIES AND GENTLEMEN! The one time only showing features a rare mutant. Is it a freak of nature? A lab experiment gone wrong? Failed recreation of the Hulk? Who knows! Our opening fights tonight will be with the thing called Nor! It’ll be fighting the amber lion! Lula! And, the crowd favorite, Octobear!”

The crowd cheered in response. 

_ What the hell was an Octobear!?  _ Peter quickly thought.

The gate blocking him from the rest of the arena was suddenly open, Peter squinted at the spotlights that shined down on his. 

He must have been standing there for too long because there was a shock from his collar causing him to jolt forward. The gate slammed shut behind him.

The lights were blinding and the goggles did nothing to help his sensitive eyes, but he was thankful for the mask at least.

“Nor doesn't look like much, but I’m told it’s got the strength of ten men! We do want to apologize for the mask, the thing’s got grotesque mutations on his face, not pretty to look at.” The announcer continued. 

“AND NOW! Give a hand for AMBER!!” 

Suddenly Peter’s spider sense went off. 

_ Hostile. _

There was a loud banging from the other side of the cage from one of the three other gaits lining the arena, what Peter thought was supposed to be a lion busted through the wooden gate. Splinters flew everywhere and Peter had to hold up an arm to shield his face.

The thing was shaped like a lion, mostly, and it had the usual four legs, but it had two deformed appendages growing out of its back, as well as a pelt that looked rough and patchy. He was reminded of Frankenstein’s monster when looking at it. 

The name kinda made sense now since the creature was an orange-ish color. He guessed it could be counted as an amber color, if you squinted. 

The lion didn’t hesitate to charge after Peter.

Peter had to jump up onto the side of the cage to avoid a head on collision with the things six inch claws. 

Right, did Peter forget to mention? The ‘lion’ was about the side of a small car.

Before Peter could devise a plan to knock the thing out, his spidey sense spiked.

_ Impending shock. _

A second later the shock collar activated causing him to spasm and lose his grip on the side of the arena. 

He was on the ground now, and before he could recover from the temporary reboot of his nervous system, the lion was on top of him.

The lions paws were as big as Peter’s head as they lay either side of him, his reflexes were the only thing saving him from getting mauled. He held the jaws of the creature open as it struggled to bite down on his exposed throat. 

Peter kicked the lion in the stomach using the opportunity of that destruction to punch the creature on the side of the head. 

He may have used a little too much force as the lion flew to the other end of the arena, hitting the wall with a thump. Peter quickly scrambled to his feet with his hands out prepared to fight, but the lion didn’t get back up. It just laid there.

“For the first fight of the night, Nor Wins!” There were angry gasps and groans as Peter assumed the owners of the noise just lost money. “Place your bets, place your bets! The next round is the freak against heat!” The announcer yelled.

A few minutes passed as a few people came in to drag the lion out of the arena. Barely a minute after they were out that Peter’s ears picked up a low growl from behind the gait to his left.

He quickly twirled around to face the sliding door as he put some distance between him and the gate in a single backwards bound.

The gate slowly slid open to reveal something that looked like... a monkey? It had strips along it’s fur like a tiger and it’s ears were further up on it’s head with a pointed tips. It seemed to be dressed in ratty, ripped clothes. 

It growled as it circle the cage, Peter moved with it so the creature couldn’t get behind him. He had to win this one, no chances will be taken.

The hybrid walked on all fours and Peter could hear the faint tap of sharp claws at the end of it’s fingers. 

“It’s you or me, road kill,” The creature hissed. It had a heavy New York accent. 

_ Shit, this thing was sentient? _

No one could see under his mask but he went wide eyed at the fact, it was one thing to fight a mindless animal, it had no other choice but survival instinct. The Lion from before was probably starved wanting food, but fighting against something that knew what it was doing? They were probably in a similar situation to Peter, forced to fight, or else. 

He let out a heavy sigh, he’ll try to go for a clean knock out again.

Peter watched Luna, noticing she was probably half his height if they both stood up straight. Lula twitched as he assumed a shock was sent through the collar on her neck. She lunged at Peter, and he suddenly rolled to the side and his Spidey sent a warning, but his dodge made him vulnerable and he didn’t take in account for Lula’s tail.

It snaked around his arm in a python grip, it actually started to burn, and he noticed his leather sleeve smoldered with thick smoke rising. The fabric was currently the only thing keeping the heat from his skin, but he knew it wouldn’t last long.

Lula yanked Peter with her tail causing him to slam against the side of the arena cage, he fell a few feet but was able to twist around his body in time to land in a crouched position. 

Within the next second he launched himself at Lula with his fist aimed at her jaw, in that moment she had the exact same idea.

Instead of a fist, she held her claws out, Peter could see the glowing heat from her palm. For a spit second he was fascinated, it must have been some type of advanced thermoregulation.

_ Attack left. _

Peter blocked her claws with his left arm as his right fist landed near her temple. 

Shit, that was the last place he wanted to hit since the bone there was significantly thinner then around the rest of the skull. 

Just like the lion before her, Lula went flying towards the arena wall collapsing in a small pile on the floor. 

Peter winced at the sign, he really hoped she’d be ok. 

The crowd cheered, it seemed a number of them had bet on Peter. Let’s hope they don’t next fight, they’d be severely disappointed. 

He grew nervously as he watched Lula get carried out. What was this Octobear? His spidey sense sent warnings down his spine. 

“And, for the third round of the night, the one we know many of you have been waiting to see. Octobear!”

As if on cue, a blood curdling roar rang out from behind the gate, it had a metallic ring to it. Just like the one he’d been hearing in the warehouse, looks like he’d finally find out what it belonged to. 

Like before Peter kept his distance, but unlike before his spidey sense didn’t warn him nearly as much as it did now. 

The gate rolled open, Peter went wide eyed as he stared at the thing.

It was a polar bear. 

A thing to note about polar bears, and what most people don’t realize, is they are largest living bear species and the one that stood before him now was no runt. It wasn’t even standing on its hind legs and its head stood taller then Peter’s, but it wasn’t the size that was worrying him.

Out of the bears back sprouted four metallic tendrils, each with snapping claws at the ends of them. The creature before him must had been some kind of cyborg, both of the bears eyes were replaced by artificial ones, but neither seemed to be working. It’s tendrils stretched out feeling the edges of the cadge it just walk out into the new environment.

It was creepy, reminded him of some kind of octopus.  

The polar bear slowly lumbered out as it sniffed the air and shifted it’s head around blindly. 

If it couldn’t see, then it only had two other senses. Smell and sound, too many loud noises in the area to pick up anything small like subtle movements, but if he-

_ Impending shock. _

The voltage must have been turned up because the shock was more painful this time. He gasped out stumbling to the ground, the noise immediately notified the polar bear of his whereabouts. 

The metal arms shot his direction, seeming to have reached of the entire arena, there would be no easily escaping it. Peter dodged the first and second arms as they plummeted into the wall behind him. The metal creaked under the force the tendrils hit them with.

Peter quickly jumped through the space between the first two arms as the third and forth attacked the ground where he once stood. He was hanging from the top of the cage that surrounded the arena. The bear roared angrily, it’s metallic claws were fast despite the creatures slow appearance. If it weren't for his spidey senses he wouldn’t have had enough warning to jump from his current position as one of the claws jolted towards him. 

It grabbed the metal bars instead, crushing them in his grip. Peter tried not to imagine his body in their place.

Now that the bear knew where he was, the tentacles actively attacked.

Dread gripped his chest as he suddenly remembered Mr. Thomas’ order. 

_ “Third you’re losing.” _

Peter winced as he forced his body not to react to his spidey sense urging him to move. He was hit hard against the side as one of the metal claws wacked him off the cage wall.

Peter was knocked onto to his back feet away from the bear, the force causing him to gasp as the wind was knocked out of him. One tendril darted down towards him but he rolled to dodge as the claw hit the ground with a thud so forcefully he could feel it in his chest. 

His spidey senses spiked again, but again he ignored it as another tendril targeted him. The open claws landed heavily on his chest causing pain to shoot through his body. It picked him up tossing him like a ragdoll towards the arena cage. 

His body hit it with a very noticeable dent forming in the metal. Peter groaned as he hit the ground, his ears rang from his head hitting against the hard concrete during his fall and he felt the taste of metal in his mouth. 

Every instinct desperately told him to fight back, but he had to push it away, he had to lose.

Once again his spidey senses screamed at him to move, more so than the other times, but he foolishly chose this one to ignore.

He felt the crushing jaws of the polar bear clap around his leg, he couldn’t help but cry out, the cheers of the crowd drowning out the tone.

With quick reaction he grabbed the bear’s mouth prying it open to keep the creatures strength from breaking his leg. Despite his natural durability, he didn’t want to risk a broken bone, especially since he’d gone days without food.

The bear didn’t seem to like the effort he was putting in to keep it from biting his leg. One of the arms grabbed Peter by the back of the coat flinging him against the opposite end of the arena. He was really starting to hate being thrown around.

He tried standing but stumbled to the ground, he could feel his own blood adding weight to the fabric of his jeans. 

He knew he was supposed to lose against this thing, but how exactly did he do that without getting killed in the process.

The bear turned to face him, its metallic arms darted towards him but suddenly there was hallow tap to his left. 

All four clawed metal tendrils froze inches from his face, he hadn’t realized he was holding his breath in that moment until he started gasping for air.

He looked to find the source of the noise. Someone was beating some kind of drum near the gate that lead back to the bears cage. 

It’s blind head turned towards the sound, as it started to slowly make its way back into the cage it came from.

“Octobear wins again!” Yelled the announcer.

There was a mix of cheers and groans. 

Peter sat with his injured leg stretched out in front of him, the warning from his senses faded but he still couldn't find the will to stand yet, but it looked like it wasn’t his decision.

He felt two people grab him, one holding each arm as they dragged him back through the gate he came from. He didn’t care enough to fight in that moment, he just watched as his blood left a trail through the splinters of wood from the gate the lion came from.

Peter was thrown back into his cage, and he heaved himself into a sitting position. He winced as the loud clunk of the cage bars dropping irritated his pounding headache. He was certain he had a concussion.

He felt the jerk of movement from the cage being called back to the nook it came from.

Luckily there weren’t many scratches from the fight, but there would definitely be plenty of bruises and his back was going to be sore for a few days, but the only concerning injury was his leg.

He wrapped his hands around it tightly as he tried to use the surrounding fabric of his pant leg to help stop the bleeding.

The shadow of Mr. Thomas brought his attention outside his cage, “Could have put on more of a show, but you followed orders,” He spoke with disgust when addressing Peter.

He tossed a brown paper bag into the cage before walking away. Peter looked at the bag with distrust before his curiosity was too strong. He glanced at his leg before wiping his bloody hand on his jeans then reaching over to the bag. 

He opened but completely forgot about his leg as he rushed to pull out a slab of meat that was wrapped in paper. His stomach urged to eat it immediately, it was over cooked and tough but it was food.

After the meat disappeared he quickly dumped the paper bag out, there was only an apple and small metal box inside. He didn’t care much about the box as he grabbed the apple, he ate everything but the stem and seeds, not much of the core was left since he tried to eat every bit that he could.

He leaned back against the bars of the cage, he shifted his outstretched leg and was immediately reminded of the bite on his leg. Peter winced as he looked at it, the bleeding had slowed but he really needed stitches. 

His eyes wandered to the little tin box and decided to look inside before he made a decision of what to do.

He was immediately thankful to find a crude first aid kit. There was a needle and plenty of thread along with bandages. He never needed stitches before, but there was a first for everything.

He carefully pulled his pant leg up revealing the wound. He gritted his teeth at the thought of this next part, but it had to be done.

After a painful process of trial and error, Peter glanced down at his now crudely bandaged leg, there wasn’t nearly enough cloth to properly wrap it so he had to make due.

He leaned back against the bars feeling completely drained, he wasn’t sure if it were due to minor blood loss or exhaustion from the fight. Probably blood loss if he was being honest, and a bit of mental exhaustion added to it. The fights didn’t last nearly as long as they felt, but he was still tired.

He leaned his head back letting it rest between two of the bars as he closed his eyes, the exhaustion he felt seemed to double in that moment. His eyelids were heavy and he was out within minutes.

* * *

 

Peter was suddenly awoken with a jolt from his collar, he clenched up as he tried to get his bearings, but the pain made it difficult to concentrate on anything else.

When it finally stopped, Peter was huddled on the ground, he looked up to see Mr. Thomas staring down at him in amusement.

“Get the cuffs on,” He ordered. 

With a shaky hand Peter complied. 

They clicked on his wrists with a heavy clank. He slowly stood up trying to avoid putting too much weight on his injured leg.

Mr. Thomas opened the door, Peter limped out.

Thomas pushed him forward, Peter had to catch himself before he stumbled to the ground. He began walking in the pointed direction. 

He was led out of the warehouse and into the dark cold morning at the dock. He ignored the anxiety forming in his chest as he was pushed towards a shipping container.

* * *

 

Peter was locked in darkness.

He was in a wooden crate, it was barely big enough for him to sit in there with his legs pressed against his chest. 

It was freezing, and his body shivered. Despite his better judgment something instinctual urged him to sleep, there was no telling how long he slept. Though, the strange thing about it was it didn’t feel like sleep. There was no dreaming or shifting awake at random moment like he usually would. Not even a vague sense of time passing that you usually got when drifted off.

The only thing that seemed to wake him was the rising temperature. Blinking his eyes awake, he could feel the stiffness in his joints he wasn’t aware of before. He shifted his injured leg slightly, it didn’t feel any better then it did when he got into the crate, though with the time that had passed it should have healed some. 

It had to at least take a few days to get across the ocean, but listening to his surroundings he didn’t hear the expected noise of the shipping docs. Instead he heard quiet chattering, there were questions being asked but he couldn’t clearly hear the words.

He could hear the crack and pop of wood as the nails top of the crate was pried off. Once the lid was lifted off Peter sprang out of the crate landing on the edges of the box that once held him. He looked at his surroundings.

A handful of wide eyes looked at him. It was only then that he remembered he didn’t have his mask on so he made sure to keep his expression stoic as he looked around at the surprisingly young faces. Most were older than but none older than twenty.

They were all in what looked like a cellar, the walls lined with stone and only a single barred window on one wall near the ceiling.

“ Блин, я думал, что он мертв!”  _ (Shit, I thought he was dead!) _ Yelled the boy who was holding a crowbar, he must have been the one to open the crate.

Peter scowled at the language he spoke, no way he was in Russia, he couldn’t have been asleep for that long… could he?

“Говорить на английском. Америка на ящике, это должно быть откуда он,”  _ (Speak in English. America is on the box, it must be where it comes from)  _ Said a girl just behind him. She was, well, peculiar to say the least. Her hair was blue and her skin pale white, her nose looked more cat like then human.

He took another look at the man who opened the crete, his hair was more like the spines of a porcupine, they jutted out along his forehead and cheek.  

“We thought you were dead, the box was sitting there, we weren't even told what was inside of it, until Kalli said it smelt like human. ” The man said looking a Peter in surprise.

Peter jumped off the box backing away from them.

“Вы уверены, что он знает английский?”  _ (Are you sure he knows English?)  _ The porcupine boy asked the girl, who Peter could only assume was Kalli.

She shrugged gesturing towards the crate, “Америка написана на коробке.”  _ (America is written on the box) _

Peter looked around the area, there wasn’t much. There was no furniture or other objects beside the crate he just jumped out of. Everyone in there was staring at Peter, and he started to grow uncomfortable. 

“NOR!” Yelled a man behind the barred door at the far end of the room. Everyone flinched at his tone except for Peter. They looked at each other wondering who would move to answer the call. 

Peter stepped forward, he could feel the eyes follow him. 

The door opened and he was yanked out by his handcuffs, the only thing keeping him balanced was his enhanced agility.

The door slammed shut and he was pushed forward by the brute that called him. He walked through the dimly lit halls until they turned a corner into a large room full of cages and cells.

Most were already filled with other people, he was pushed into one cage at the far end. His cuffs were removed but the collar remained. When the man left, he tried getting a good look around the room, most of the others in there looked odd, just like the girl with blue hair or the boy with quills except they each had their own unique oddities. 

Were they enhanced like him? He did remember the mention of mutants, was that what they were?

He saw a faint glow coming from a boys hands, a girl was forming tornadoes with the dust on the floor, at the very far end was someone who’s entire body was blue or some other unnatural skin tone to be found on a human. It was hard to tell at the distance.

That answered his questions, but he never realized there were this many people with abilities. Were the Avengers even aware of this?

That question probably didn’t matter, if the Avengers did or not it wasn’t like anything was being done to save the others from this place. He could see the faint blinking lights of shock collars on everyone’s necks.

They were all prisoners just like him.

* * *

 

It had been two weeks since the last sighting of Spider-Man, three since Tony had seen Peter at the police station.

Tony had a bad feeling, usually there was a sighting of one or the other but it had never been so long without word of either. 

Tony couldn’t just sit around in his lab, or in some corporate meeting Pepper dragged him to. The police were getting nothing and FRIDAY was the same.

He had made a decision that morning, one that lead him to the apartment building he’d only visited once before. The last thing he needed was to draw unwanted eyes as he took the elevator to the eighth floor. So dressed in a hoodie, sunglasses, and baseball cap he stepped into the long hall leading to the apartment owned by May Parker.

FRIDAY had been watching the cameras, based on the same algorithm Tony used to find out Spider-Man identity, Peter’s last known location was this apartment. He doubted the spiderling was still there but he hopped there be at least something pointing where he went.

He approached the door to apartment 809, he took a quick glance down each side of the hallway as he pulled out a lockpick. The lock on the door was standard so it only took a minute to get inside.

“Getting a little rusty,” Tony muttered to himself. “Fri, how’s it on your end,” He whispered quietly, he had an earpiece in so he could easily communicate to FRIDAY, who was currently piloting one of the more stealth oriented prototypes of the Spider-suit drone.

<No life signs heading your way, and no occupants in the current apartment, boss>

“Just as expected,” He started to look around the living room. Just like his first visit there was nothing out of the ordinary. The only difference between then and now was the space looked more cluttered, not nearly as well taken care of. He glanced in the connecting kitchen, again not finding anything except for a few boxes of takeout scattered across the counter.

He then walked down the hall, opening the first door on the right when he came to it. He was almost hesitant to open the door to Peter’s room, but when he did he half expected the teen to be sitting on his bed. The last thing he expected to see was a chair under the crawlspace and the classic spider onesie draped over it.

It looked neglected and crumpled but once the realization dawned on him, Tony’s chest filled with horror.

“God dammit, she found out,” He said in disbelief.

<Boss?>

“May knows Peter is Spider-Man,” Tony walked slowly over to the chair as he picked up the costume. A pair of MKI webshooters fell out of the sleeves, his heart broke at the sight of them, Peter never went anywhere without his webshooters. Not even when he was Nor. 

He may have never used them but Tony distinctly remembered seeing a glint of the device from under Peter’s sleeve when he was in the precinct. 

“Where are you, Pete,” He sighed as he put the shooters into his pockets. He bundled the spider onesie into a ball before tucking it under his arm. Looking around the room he noticed a thin layer of dust on everything except for the chair. A sure sign that no one has been living in the room, this didn’t surprise Tony too much, though it was a bit odd seeing the partly shattered screen of Peter’s cellphone covered in the same dust. 

With such an overused object it was surreal seeing one neglected and covered in dust. He walked over to it tapping the home button, there was no response from the device, it was unsurprisingly dead.

He decided to pocket it with the webshooters before leaving Peter’s room. He continued down the hall after glancing into the bathroom. He passed a closet as he walked his way into the master bedroom.

A king sized bed occupied the middle with an opened half packed suitcase.

<May Parker has been spotted entering the building.> FRIDAY informed him. 

“Shit,” He hurried over to the suitcase as he shuffled through it lightly trying to find some kind of clue of where she might be going. 

<She is in the elevator, you have approximately one minute and forty-two seconds to exit the apartment>

“Not yet,” Tony said as he started searching through the handbag next to the suitcase. 

<You are trespassing, boss. If she catches you and calls the police it will->

“I know!” Tony interrupted. He quickly turned to the nightstand where a stack of papers laid, he only skimmed through the top few but the only thing he found were conformation for canceled bills.

<She’s off the elevator, twenty seconds till she opens the door, I suggest you hide>

Tony quickly placed everything back in its place before he stepped out of the room, by that point he heard the keys in the lock of the door.

He couldn’t hid in any of the rooms, there was no time, his best bet was the closet, just next to him. Opening it, he was immediately thankful to see it was completely empty. As he quietly closed the closet door he heard the front door creak open.

He listened closely as May walked through the apartment, but then there was silence.

<May Parker is making a call> FRIDAY said in his ear.

“Tap into it.” He whispered.

A moment passed and he suddenly heard a dial tone in his ear before someone picked up.

“New York Presbyterian,” Said a cheerful tone. 

“Hey, Linda, it’s May. I’m just calling to make sure my paperwork went through.”

“Oh, hey May! You know, we’re sad to see you go.”

May sighed, “I know, but Peter’s already down in Austin and I just hate to be away from him so long.”

“I’m sorry to hear about your brother, but at least you and Peter will be closer to family,” There was tapping on a keyboard from Linda’s end. “And yes you resignation was accepted, you should get your last check in the mail tomorrow.”

“Thank you so much for checking!” May replied.

“Not a problem! Anyways, we’re all going to miss you! Have a safe trip! Bye!”

“Tell everyone I’ll miss them too! Bye Linda!” May said before hanging up. “Bitch,” She muttered. Her tone completely different from how it was on the phone. She seemed to continue talking to herself. “Always so much whining, ‘May, can you do this for me? May, can you do that? Oh no my father died, can you take my shifts?’” May scoffed as she used a high pitched voice to mimic Linda. “Pathetic.”

Tony listened as May walked passed the closet and into her room. Tony held his breath as she passed. He could hear shuffling from her room as she continued to pack, then the wheels of the suitcase as she dragged it back down the hall.

He heard a clunk of keys on the kitchen counter before the heavy front door was pulled open then slammed shut.

<Ms. Parker is headed to the elevator.> FRIDAY informed him. <An unmarked vehicle is waiting in front of the building for her>

“Can you follow them?” The closet was pitch black, and it was only now the he was wondering why it was so empty. Reached for the door handle to push it open. 

<The drone was not build for long range tracking.>

Before he could respond he looked back into the closet and was shocked when he got a better look at the walls. 

He quickly turned on the overhead light to get a better look. 

What he once thought were dark painted walls, was white with three black sentences written over and over in the unmistakable handwriting of Peter Parker.

**I am worthless.**

**I am nothing.**

**I owe her my life.**

For the second time that day his heart broke for Peter. Examining the little closet he ran his hand where the wall met the door frame, he could feel the layers upon layers of paint that lined the walls. He had to force his always working mind not to calculate the time it would have taken to cover the paint in writing based of the dimensions of walls.

He pulled out his phone quickly taking a few pictures of the room then close ups on the layered paint.

“Friday, prepare to call the Lieutenant,” Tony said before he rushed into Peter’s room. He set the Spider-onesie back on the chair before he began digging through all the sketchbooks, papers, and binders scattered across the teens room. 

He found everything relating to Spider-Man stacking it in a pile. He checked the crawlspace up above as he grabbed a spare set of webshooters and a few bottles of web fluid along with a dozen loaded cartridges. He grabbed a shoe box from the closet putting on the papers and spider supplies into the box.

He went over the room one last time carefully as he shifted things back in their original positions but making sure he took every last scrap of evidence that might conect Peter Parker to the identity of Spider-Man.

Tony took the stuffed shoe box in one arm and the bundled up spider onesie in the other before making his way out of the apartment.

He walked a block before getting into the car he’d taken there, it looked fairly ordinary, but unknown to most the body of the vehicle was designed change colors and blend in more with the less expensive cars it was surrounded by. He was never one for discretion, but that didn’t mean he wasn’t good at it. He just never had a need for it before now.

<Calling Lieutenant Anderson>

“Stark, have something?” The gruff tone of the Lieutenant answered. 

“This was the last thing either of us wanted to do, but you’re going to need to connect that Peter is Nor.”

“Do you know where he is?”

“No but we need to get May on the wrong side of the law, and fast. She’s leaving town and I doubt its to Texas,” Tony said quickly.

“If I make the connection we can’t be in contact anymore, this will put you in an active investigation since he was your intern,” Anderson sighed.

“I know,” Tony said as he leaned his head against the steering wheel. “Just, how fast can you get a warrant on her apartment?”

“A day,” There was a short pause. “Stark, what did you find?”

“It’s not much, but if you get the warrant you’ll see it to, but whatever you do, you can’t let the blood you collected be analyzed.”

“I can’t keep that held back forever, questions are already being asked. The only way its been held back this long is because the increase in cases lately, but if you’re wanting me to connect Peter to Nor why would it still matter?”

“One of those plausible deniability things,” Tony said quickly, he couldn’t exactly tell Anderson Peter was Spider-Man. As much as he trusted the man it wasn’t his secret to tell.

There was a heavy sigh from the receiver, “Fine.” Then the line was hung up. 

Tony leaned back in his seat as he took the earpiece out, he groaned as he pinched the bridge of his nose then faced forward as he put the vehicle in gear.

“Friday open a new project file,” He pressed a button on the side of the steering wheel causing the outside of the car to change from a dull blue to a hot rod read. He sped off down the streets. 

<And what should it be called?>

Tony thought for a moment, “Mark 51: Stealth Prime. Get the specs from the Mark 15 and the finished nano frame from 50 laid out in the the file. Also transfer the blueprints for the Iron Spider, don't’ worry about the adjustments for my build, I’ll only be using the arms from it.”

<Is that all?>

“Make sure to order a new box of coffee grounds, I’m going to need the strong stuff for this one.”

<Already on their way, boss.>

“Perfect, no time to waste.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Apologies for the Russian if it's wrong, got it from Google translate.


	21. Chapter 21

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Get ready to hate me just a little bit more!!

_“This just in on NBC News._

_Police have been investigating the sharp increase of drug trafficking in the Brooklyn area, but currently progress has been slowed due to the sudden disappearance of a local vigilante, Spider-Man, last spotted late December and after months of inactivity, his absence has caused a sharp incline of crime all over the city._

_Police resources have been focused on maintaining order during the rise in crime, but leading investigators on the Brooklyn drug case have identified one of the lead couriers as fifteen year old Peter Parker._

_Mr. Parker recently attended Midtown School of Science and Technology, he was the top of his class and participated in the local Decathlon team that won nationals months ago._

_Many of his peers and teachers were shocked at the news of his affiliation.”_

_Ned Leeds (Close Friend): We were told his aunt was taking him to Texas… I never thought he’d be doing something like that..._

_Michelle Jones (Close Friend): I knew something was wrong when he stopped replying, Peter would never do something like this on his own. Whatever’s happening he’s being forced._

_Roger Herrington (Teacher): Mr. Parker was a bright student, he didn’t show any sign of bad behavior in school. In fact he was one of the most well behaved and focused students I’ve ever meet. I feel like we’ve all failed as teachers for not noticing anything sooner._

_“Mr. Parker was also known to be the youngest intern at Stark Industries, it is said he worked closely with Tony Stark until he quit the internship last September. There has yet to be a statement from Mr. Stark or Stark Industries on the matter, but a press conference has been scheduled._

_May Parker, Peter Parker’s Aunt, had taken the fourteen year old out of school in October, the school claims the reason was for moving to Austin Texas with family, it was only later revealed that the Parker’s have no other living relatives, so it’s strongly believed the reason was fabricated._

_Lieutenant Anderson and Detective Octen, lead officers on the case, believed that May Parker was the reason Peter Parker was recruited as a drug courier. Their official released statement suggests that they discovered signs of abuse in the apartment the Parker’s resided in._

_It is unknown where either of the Parkers are at this moment.”_

* * *

 

Last time Tony was standing at a podium like this he revealed to the world that he was Iron Man, now he had to release a statement about Peter being found out as Nor.

He looked down at the card in his hands, for once in his life he was going to follow the cards. He didn’t trust his voice otherwise.

He cleared his throat as he looked out at the awaiting reporters.

“The first time I met Mr. Parker was at the 2011 Stark Expo, I didn’t know it was him at the time.

The second time I met him was after he was selected for the Jr. SI Internship.

It wasn’t till the third time I met him that I truly saw his potential, he had forgotten his ID and it was by chance that I was in the building that day. I cleared up the misunderstanding then walked him to his floor. It was there that I saw the projects he worked on. His blueprints and designs were far beyond what I expected of him, he was so close to solving problems I hadn’t even considered.

I knew one day he had the potential to surpass even myself. It was there I decided to turn the internship into a mentorship.

Unfortunately that didn’t last long, for reasons that I now understand were related to drug running, he quite the internship.

Mr. Parker is a brilliant kid and there are parts of this world that I absolutely despise for putting kids like him in situations like this.

I will be helping the police any way I can to find Peter Parker, and I believe strongly that May Parker is the one who is to blame for his circumstances. She will be brought to justice, and I will do everything in my power to make sure Mr. Parker doesn't pay for her actions.”

Tony tucked the cards back into his coat. All the reporters stood up, dozens of voices asked questions at once, but he would not be answering any of them.

* * *

 It took Tony six days to finish the Stealth Prime suit, honestly that was probably the fastest he’d ever finished a suit before.

It was his greatest one yet.

Despite not being nearly as battle oriented as the Mark 50 it was probably the most advanced piece of stealth equipment the world will never see.

There was practically no metal in the design. The shell of it was crafted from an absorbent ceramic that he invented just for the design, it was used mostly in the exoskeleton to provide the support structure for enhancing his strength and ability to jump and fall from large heights without injury. The rest of the shell was crafted from a Kevlar-like polymer. It coated the ceramic exoskeleton to prevent the material’s shine to catch light.

The polymer, like the rest of the suit, was crafted from specialized nano particles but with the added bonus of what Tony named the chameleon effect, causing it to reflect and refract light in such a way it caused the suit to become completely invisible to the human eye, or any other type of eye for that matter. Nearly every type of sensor in existence would be blind to this suit, hell even sonar, though that one was still kind of a weak point since he only managed to have the suit absorb the sound wave producing a negative space where a blip would be.

Good thing he didn’t plan sneaking up on a boat or sub anytime soon, the whole thing was overkill if he was being totally honest, and he hadn’t even gotten to the best part yet.

Using the basis from the Iron-Spider suit, he used carbon nano particles to construct four thin black spider like legs that would retract from his back.

Peter’s ability as Spider-Man actually made his idea for stealth, the flexibility, and wall crawling were perfect for covert operations. Tony did not mind admitting that his body, and let's face it, overall moving style he’d grown used to as Iron Man was in no way suited for the perfect stealth suit.

So, to fix that, he designed the legs with the ability to form joints at anywhere along their length as well as giving the tips of the legs the ability to cling to virtually any surface by utilizing the microscopic groves that exist even on the smoothness of glass. All this only possible because of his nano-tech.

This giving him the maneuverability of a spider, without the lengthy process of getting bitten by one.

The only hiccup he had was how to actually control the legs.

As awesome as his AIs were, they couldn’t read his mind and they wouldn’t know when or where exactly he needed each leg in preparation for movements or attack, and the whole thing would be messy and inefficient.

He didn’t have the time to completely invent, design, and test the delicate neural interface that was required to effectively control the legs.

So he didn’t exactly feel too proud of the alternative solution to that issue.

A local scientist named Doctor Otto Octavius had been working on that exact interface. It was aimed to help create the perfect prosthetic that would act and move like the original limbs.

A quick hack and copy of data later while also making sure no one noticed the breach in their security. No one would even know that the data was copied in the first place.

The programming and hardware were already very well developed, but there were still some major issues that needed to be dealt with in the hardware of the interface that would cause major brain damage, essentially leaving you a vegetable, if connected during its current state.

Tony likes his mind, thank you very much, so he and FRIDAY worked together perfecting the technology. Dr. Octavius would have perfected the tech eventually and Tony wasn’t about to claim it for himself, he was actually only going to use it for the Stealth Prime. If he wanted to have an interface like that for his other suits (and he definitely did) he was going to make his own completely from scratch.

Plus it wasn’t like anyone was going to know the suit even existed, let alone that it connected to him.

It was a shame really, such a fantastic suit and it didn’t even look like an Iron Man suit. It was tempting, it really was, but he could not be associated with it.

So he had to make it as far from an Iron Man design as he could manage, that was a lot harder than he thought it would be.

In the end the suit was black with dark red accents, the eyes glowed an ominous red and were designed with sharp inhuman shapes to up the intimidation factor. He’d need it for what he had planned for it.

When all was set in place, with the only thing left to do was have FRIDAY complete calibrations. Tony took that time to finally crash since last time he slept was 49 hours 17 minutes and 38 seconds ago. Courtesy of FRIDAY keeping count.

He slept for at least thirteen hours before grabbing a much needed meal. That was when he ran into a VERY unhappy Pepper.

She stood in the kitchen with her arms crossed and her foot tapping.

“Pepper, my love, my light, what’s up?” He asked casually.

“Don’t you start with me,” She said pointing angrily. “I know it wasn’t easy doing that press conference but there was no reason to lock yourself in the lab for the last four days!”

“I know, I’m sorry,” He sighed breaking the casual mask he wore. The stress of Peter’s disappearance washed over his face and he could tell Pepper immediately softened her gaze. He walked over to her pulling her into a hug.

“I worry about him too you know,” She whispered wrapping her arms around his neck. “Don’t make me need to worry about you…” She whispered.

“No more than the usual recklessly risk my life kinda way.”

She pulled away slightly to look him in the eyes, she narrowed her gaze at him suspiciously, “You have something stupid planned, don’t you?”

“What if it’s really well thought out… sorta, is it still stupid?” Tony asked innocently.

“If it’s what’s been causing you to lock yourself in the lab then yes, it is very stupid,” She pulled away from him as she started to make lunch, wait, or was it dinner? A quick look at the clock told him it was 8:30PM. Dinner it was.

“It’s for Peter’s sake, so I don’t think it’s completely useless,” he walked over to the counter as he helped her gather supplies to help her.

“Then I know whatever it is I couldn’t stop you, but will you at least tell me what your plan is?” She asked with a sigh, she usually didn’t give up so easily but he could tell she was particularly stressed that evening. That was a common theme for both of them lately.

“I have made the perfect stealth suit that the world will never see,” He said with a faint grin.

“If the world will never see it then I guess it is the perfect stealth suit, but what do you need one?”

“I’m going to take a page from the kid’s book, get out there in the city myself. Deal with the rising crime while he’s away, in the process I’ll be not so politely asking underground New York where Peter Parker is,” He stated as he chopped vegetables on the cutting board while Pepper started the stove so the water would boil and put ground beef in a skillet.

“That sounds like a PR nightmare, you know you’ll get yourself arrested for obstruction of justice and I’m sure that breaks some kind of rule involving the Accords!” She huffed.

“Three actually, two fine print ones, and one big one, doubt anyone will notice though,” He shrugged, obviously not as bothered as Pepper wanted him to be about it.

“And why is that?” She asked raising an eyebrow.

“Funny thing about a stealth suit, is just because you might see it when I let you doesn't mean you know who’s inside. Plus I’ll have you know I took extra restraint to make sure it’s design resembles nothing of the usual Iron Man style I do. Heart breaking really,” He put all the chopped vegetables in a bowl before grabbing noodles to place them in the boiling water.

Pepper started  putting seasoning onto the meat, “Must have been torturous,” She rolled her eyes at him.

“Exactly, glad you understand my pain!”

“It’s still surprising to see the great Tony Stark make a suit based on discretion. Didn’t know that was possible.”

“Hey, I can be discreet,” Tony defended.

Pepper just looked at him with an ‘Oh really?’ look.

“I just choose not to,” The man continued.

“Of course you do,” she said unconvinced.

Tony pretended to be offended and soon their conversation shifted to other things, but the worry for Peter constantly hung in the air.

That evening after the dinner and a somewhat relaxed time as they both sat on the couch. Tony laid with his head in her lap while they both looked at their respective Stark tablets. Pepper monitoring the news and other SI things, while Tony went over the finally report FRIDAY gave him about the stealth suit.

After dinner there wasn’t much that needed to be said between the two, at that moment they both just needed the other’s company.

It was nearing ten when Pepper finally went to bed, they gave their goodnight kisses before separating. Tony going to the workshop and Pepper to the bedroom.

“Let’s get this party started, Fri,” Tony said as he walked over to the awaiting suit. It could be made rigid enough to stand on its own, and that’s just what it did as it stood on the platform he usually equipped his suits at.

<Initial calibrations are complete, but the neural connection is the only thing remaining.>

“This will be a new experience,” Tony muttered, he really had no idea what to expect when it came to the interface. He wasn’t sure if he’d actually feel the carbon nanites that made up the arms, or would his connection to them only involve the control?

Guess there was only one way to find out.

He stepped up to the platform, now dressed in the clothes he’d usually wear under the armor.

He’ll admit that looking at Stealth Prim face to face with close proximity gave him an unnerving feeling, he may have gone overboard with the creepiness, not to mention it kinda looked like Ultron. He blamed that on the subconscious fear of the now dead AI.

It also didn’t help that FRIDAY gave him NO WARNING when the suit walked towards him. The nanobots of the suit frame parted before engulfing him and automatically fitting properly, the minor shock caused him step back in surprise.

The ordeal made him momentarily forget that the neural interface needed a physical connection, he hadn’t had the time to create one wirelessly, so when the many thin sharp needles pierced down into his neck and spine, he gasped as he stumbled into a desk.

He must have miscalculated somewhere, but that was impossible, though he must have because the pain didn’t stop when the neural connectors found contact with his nervous system.

He bit back the urge to cry out as his brain struggled to process the influx of information. He tried to find his feet but fell into the closest workbench, everything was knocked to the floor and Tony with it.

The sound of things hitting the floor was agonizing, he instinctively covered his ears and he swore he could her someone calling for him, but he couldn't process anything, there was so much and his hands did nothing to muffle the noise.

He could feel the 0.0003° unevenness of the floor, the constant shift of temperature between 73.568°F and 73.567°F, the defining buzz of the dozens of ark reactors in the suits hidden beneath the floor, the air shifted over his skin as it constantly moved and swirled with every movement despite the fact he tried to stay as still as possible.

The worst of it was seeing everything, the constant input of vision from every angle wouldn’t go away, even after he closed his eyes. Part of it was covered by the floor and the edge of the desk. He tried cover his eyes with his arm but he could still see out of 60% of the impossible 365° view, more than half of that tortured by the blinding lights from above.

Suddenly all of that was overpowered by the shrieking yells of his name, he felt the pressure of a hand on his shoulder and he could feel every grove and crease of the palm as well at the individual lines of the fingerprints. How did the ridges feel so sharp on his skin?

Not skin, a suit, he was wearing a suit.

 _‘Make it stop! To much, make it stop!,’_ He thought, but he swore that he heard a deep voice say those same words.

The sharp palms gripped him tighter as they shook his shoulders, but they hesitated when he thought.

He pulled his arm away so he could see their face, facial recognition informed him it was Virginia “Pepper” Potts, fingerprints from her hand on his skin confirmed it.

 _‘What was she doing here? Why was she scared?’_ Again a deep voice was speaking his thoughts. He could feel her heart racing through the palm against his skin.

No, not skin, he forgot again, he’s wearing a suit.  

“Tony! Please, your scaring me!” Pepper voice distracted him as he started focusing more on it.

_‘No, that was the last thing I wanted to do. I never want to scare you, you of all people.’_

“Tony, please take the suit off!” She said quickly. She pulled at his skin, but it wouldn’t budge. What was she trying to do?

_‘What are you talking about, I’m not wearing a suit.’_

“You’re wearing a suit Tony! The stealth suit, please take it off. Something’s happening, something's very wrong!” She was crying now.

_‘No, no, please don’t cry Pepper. Honey, tell me what’s wrong? Let me help.’_

He was completely focused on her now, he desperately wanting to comfort her. He leaned up slightly as he used his arms to prop himself up, his others curled around her, but she flinched away. Why did that make things worse?

_‘Honey, what’s wrong? It’s just me?’_

“Tony,” She said desperately, the fear in her voice shook something inside of him.

Wait, how many limbs did he have? Eight.

Did he always have eight?

No, no, he didn’t, humans have four limbs.

_‘Why do I have eight? Wait, no, I’m in a suit!’_

“I’m in a suit!” Tony gasped. He barely had to think before the nanites of the helmet retracted. His vision returned to normal as well as his hearing, but the feeling of air and the detailed ridges of Pepper’s hands could be felt on his skin, no, _his suit._

“Take it off, please, something’s not right,” She cried as she lunged to wrap her arms around his neck.

“I’m not- I _am_ in a suit,” Tony muttered, he wasn’t comply comprehending what she said, he was too focused on her elevated heart rate he could feel against his chest. He wrapped his two arms around her, holding her close, he needed to calm her down.

“Tony?” She pulled away slightly to look him in the eyes. They were distant before as he focused on her heart, but now that he could see her face he immediately latched onto her eyes. Her beautiful, beautiful, eyes. He needed to make them stop crying.

“Yeah?” He said gently as he brought an arm up to her cheek as he gently brushed away a tear, again she flinched away. He looked at her confused and worried, that was until he looked down, he still had his two human arms around her body. That wasn’t his arm, that was the suits arm. “I’m wearing a suit,” He muttered, the concept was slow but it was sticking.

“Tony you need to get out of it, Friday lost contact with the suit when you put it on. Someone else is controlling it, you need to get out, they could be trying to hurt you,” Tears streamed from her face again. “She said they might be messing with your head. Please, Tony, please,” Pepper held his head in her heads as if she was afraid he’d look away.

“Nobody's here, it's just me,” He didn’t know why but the thought of something else controlling him- _his suit_ was repulsive and violating. “I… must have unintentionally revoked her access to it, it’s just me in here, I promise.”

“This is you?” She whimpered quietly, “All of this is you?” She looked back at his- _the_ four arms that encircled her, but didn’t touch her.

“Yes, I promise,” He pulled her close as he buried his face into her neck. The suit’s arms wrapped around her in what he hopped was a comforting hug. He was grateful to feel her relax as she held him tightly.

“I thought I was losing you, don’t do that again, please don’t ever do that again,” She whispered.

“I’m so sorry,” His mind finally fell accustomed to the knew senses he was receiving, his mind was much clearer. “I didn’t expect the overflow of information from the neural interface, I didn’t even know I’d be picking up the readings from all the nano particles on the suit, the interface was just to control the arms.”

“You miscalculated…” She sniffed with a small laugh.

“It seems I did,” He chuckled in return.

“I hate it when you do that,” She muttered.

“Yeah, me too,” He sighed. He held her close in her arms as the suits legs pushed them up off the floor and then to their feet.

“The last thing I wanted to do was scare you,” As he looked down at her he wondered why he was a few inches taller then normal, but realized he wasn’t actually standing on his feet, but instead was being suspended in the air by the suit’s leg. He had no idea why this felt more natural, but he forced himself stand on his feet.

Pepper didn’t respond, she still looked uneasy.

“Do you need me to walk you back to our room?” He asked gently as he used one of the arms to brush a loose strand out hair out of her face, if he waited a few seconds longer he would have used his actual hand but the reaction of the suit’s legs were faster.

She still flinched away again, “Sorry,” He said quickly as he stepped back from her. He never made a suit that scared her before, but she wasn’t exactly introduced to it in the best way.

“No, it’s fine” She said quickly, “I’m just… a little freaked out.”

“Oh… Right, yeah, I would be to if I walked in on that,” He said quickly.

“I’m just going to walk myself up, I need time to clear my head of this,” She said almost apologetic. She moved passed him to walk out, he hadn’t noticed his feet no longer touched the ground until he heard the faint clank of the suit’s legs against the tiled floor as he turned.

“Pepper?” He called.

She was just at the elevator before she turned to face him.

“You know I’d never hurt you right?”

She smiled at him understandingly, “I know. Sometime the crazy things you do is hard to process,” she sighed.

“Like spider legs I can control with my mind?” He asked as he walked towards her.

She watched at the legs moved before responding with wide fascinated eyes, “Exactly,” She smiled.

He stood in front of her, “Don’t worry, this one is freaking me out too, my senses are going haywire.”

“Just be safe, ok?” She stood up on her toes to give him a kiss. “I love you.”

“Love you too,” Tony replied.

* * *

 

A few sensitivity adjustments later along with a few test of the suit’s chameleon effect he felt comfortable enough of controlling the suit to take it for a field run.

It was the first suit that his AI wouldn’t be helping him control, since he himself had access to all the properties of the suit with his mind he didn’t like the thought of another entity rooting around in the electronics.

It wasn’t that he didn’t trust FRIDAY, of course he did, it was just more along the lines of if you could walk on your own, why did you need a wheelchair?

It was long past midnight when he found himself on the rooftop of a building, he was completely invisible to anyone watching. The few hours he’d been wearing the suit were enough to adjust to most of the added senses. His theory was that because the suit was created for a single thing to control and monitor the entire suit then it unintentionally connected all the processes and sensors to the neural interface.

What was supposed to be FRIDAY ended up being Tony, a pleasant surprise really, he had never has such total control of a suit before. It was like the suit was part of his being.

He was only more motivated to create his own neural interface, he still felt weird using someone else's research so the suit didn’t feel completely like his own.

It was a one time use suit anyways, despite how amazing it was he wouldn’t be able to use it’s design again once he had accomplished his goal with it.

That being find Peter Parker.

He had a few small leads to find out where he was, one being a man only know by the name of John.

By tracking Peter’s movements using the few cameras he was on during that first week of his first disappearance, it was pretty easy to find where he lived. Especially since it was during a time when Peter wasn’t taking nearly as many precautions.

He used the legs of the suit to launch himself from roof to roof, another downsides of the suit was the lack of flight, but Tony was quickly discovering the suit legs were more than capable of traversing the cityscape easily. More efficiently and effectively than anticipated with it connected directly to his brain.

He found himself outside of the building soon enough, shifting his vision to infrared he could see a number of heat signatures in the building coupled with an overlay of x-ray readings to get the lay out of the floors and walls. Only two figures sit in John’s second floor apartment.

There was John, who was easy to identify with his limp as he walked from the living room to his room. Then there was the other, smaller and lanky, but too tall to be Peter.

Silently jumping from the building across the street to the window just outside the second floor apartment. He remained invisible as his vision was returned to normal with the infrared x-ray dialed down enough that he could only see the faint outline of heat signatures allowing him to keep track of John and the other through the walls.

He’d prefer to have all forms of his senses and vision on at all times but he was barely getting used to the 360° view constantly being projected into his mind. He didn’t want to be overwhelmed with three different versions of that same view, but he had confidence that he could eventually. Human brains were very adaptive.

The smaller heat signature was a young man, not long after John went to his room did the other man go to a closet to lay down on what looked like a cot.

Tony took that chance to sneak in, carefully using the legs of the suit to open the window just enough to slip his body inside.

He moved around the small living space and connected kitchen as he looked for any sign of Peter. He needed to make sure he was here at one point before scaring the living hell out of the apartments current occupants.

His vision switched again but this time to ultraviolet, as miraculous and beautiful the vision was he was not keen on keeping it active at all times like the others. It could pick up fingerprints, traces of blood, as well as other bodily fluids and traces of substances that have long since disappeared. The luminescent colors could be to distracting if it were constantly activated.

Fingerprints were delicate since they were only imprints of the oils on your skin, so it was easy for them to be wiped away and distorted beyond recognition.

Most surfaces of the kitchen and living room showed no sign of Peter, but just as he turned to inspect the rest of the room he caught the faint highlight of prints on the under sink cabinets.

He leaned in to get a closer look of the prints.

Sure enough, after scanning them, he found they belonged to Peter.

He opened the cabinet to reveal a bare set of cleaning supplies, all with Peter’s prints. He didn’t like the idea of Peter being made to clean up after someone else.

Once again he shifted his view back to normal vision.

John was sitting at a desk in his room and the other was still laying in the closet room.

In a burst of movement, Tony busted through the closed door of John’s room. He only allowed himself to be visible once he had one of the suits legs wrapped tightly around John.

“Where is Nor…” Tony didn’t even have to speak, his thought was speaking was projected through the voice modifier. It was deep with a glitchy like unevenness, all by design of course.

“I- I don’t know, he disappeared a month ago.” The man said quickly as the faint red glow of the suits eyes reflected off his terrified face. Sensors indicated he was telling the truth.

“Tell me what you do know,” Tony asked calmly, but the tone of voice suggested a threat.

“He was heading to his Aunt’s house, he was pulled off jobs for a few weeks because he was caught by the cops. Laying low to not track attention,”  The man gripped onto the leg as he attempted to keep it from choking him, Tony had him suspended off the ground.

“Do you know May Parker’s associates?” Tony shoved the man against the ceiling.

“No- No I don’t, all I know is she knew my boss,” John gasped as he hit the ceiling.

Tony just stared at him for a moment before dropping the man to the ground. He shifted over to the man’s computer as one of the ends of the suit’s legs formed into a USB. He was smart enough not to let that information flood into his mind, instead he had it redirected directly to FRIDAY.

He caught movement behind him from the closet the other was sleeping in across the hall. It was then that he noticed the plastic tote, there were objects scattered on top of it but inside he spotted a graphic T with a Star War pun.

Tony moved out of the room, hardly noticing that he wasn’t actually using his feet, it was just logically more efficient to use the suits legs. He pushed open the sliding door.

The occupant was immediately started as he back himself into the one of the corner. Tony payed him no mind as he picked up and opened the plastic tote with the legs.

Looking inside, he found the shirt he spotted before. He had seen Peter wear it on numerous occasions and could only assume it was one of Peter’s favorites.

He would have preferred to take all of Peter’s belongings so he could return them later but the police were going to be here at some point, there needed to be evidence of Peter being here.

He was fine with just taking the T-shirt, if it was his favorite he’d probably appreciate that it didn’t end up in police custody.

With the T-shirt in hand, he put the tote back in its place. He disappeared before the two’s eyes as he rushed out of the apartment the same way he came in.

“Friday, sift through that data for me, tell me when you find John’s boss,” Tony said as he leap from John’s apartment building to the next.

His next thing on the agenda was to make his presence known in the crime world, it will help in the long run despite how tedious it would be now.

* * *

Peter had been stuck in the cell of what could only be described as a dungeon for a week, his only way to tell time is by the faint light at the far end of the room from a barred window. He hadn’t been in a fight yet, he’d seen others dragged out of their cages only to be dragged back in injured, unconscious, or to never returned at all.

They feed him more regularly compared to the few days he spent at the warehouse in New York, a city he was already missing dearly.

Every morning he's awoken by a metal bowl being placed just within reach by a small skinny boy. Peter tried very hard not to think the boy looked like Dobby the house elf, but with no other name to call him by, he’d been referring to the kid as Dobby.

Who ever the kid is, he seems to be in charge of feeding everyone in the mornings then collecting the bowls at noon. He looks absolutely terrified of everyone in the cages, so he always keeps his distance.

The food was better than moldy bread, but it looked like what he imagined was the gruel given to Oliver Twist, except tasted twenty times worse.

He had to eat it anyways, not really an option to skip a meal when you have an enhanced metabolism.

That morning when Dobby walked in with a stack of bowls and a bucket of gruel with a ladle handle sticking out the top, Peter was hanging upside down from the roof of his cell. He made a habit of sleeping like that, it was a lot easier than he expected, he suspected it might have been part of a deep spider instinct that he gained with his ability, he just had no need of using it before since he had no need for a natural survival instinct until recently. Either way, he was thankful it was as comfortable as it was, the floor of his cell was mostly dirt and mud. He felt bad for the other’s that didn’t have his wall crawling ability.

Peter’s mask was off and tucked into the pocket of his leather jacket. He watched as Dobby walked hesitantly towards Peter as he placed one of the stacked bowls just outside of his cage as he used the ladle to scoop a serving of gruel into the bowl before quickly moving onto the next cage.

Peter dropped from his upside down perch before he approached the bars, he reached out to grab the bow before he drank/ate the soup like substance. He tossed the bow out of his cage again before jumping up to return to his perch.

He was unbelievably bored and the whole thing was just short of solitary confinement if it weren’t for the others in the room, but it wasn't like he could talk to any of them.

He was completely bored as he paced around the walls and the ceiling, going so far as to voluntarily do push ups. Because… well, he’s seen it in movies and that’s usually what bad ass people do when they’re stuck in a cell.

Because Peter Parker was part spider he does his push ups, sit ups, and any other odd exercised he vaguely remembers from gym class, up on the ceiling and the wall of his cell.

He really didn’t care that he probably looked like a weirdo to the others who were in the room with him, but he couldn’t stand the thought of sitting around or just hanging on the ceiling doing nothing. It caused his mind to wander too much, if he let that happen the he’d probably completely break down at the crushing realization that his life was no longer his own. That he was a slave to fight in an arena he had no doubt he’d be seeing in the next few days.

He would spend every second of the rest of his life fighting for it, despite that fact that nothing even matter any-

Ok, time for upside down sit ups on the wall.

* * *

Just as expected the next day Peter was escorted out of his cell by a small group of men with rifles. He could see one hold the remote to his collar in his hand, probably in case Peter tried to fight, but he didn’t plan on it. He wasn’t even sure if Mr. Thomas was here, let alone if he was keeping close contact with May. He didn’t want to risk it, so he followed without any struggles.

No one told him anything, there were words spoken around him but not at him and it was all in Russian. So he wasn’t sure if he should win or lose the fight, he was just going to assume to win. Sorta his default since he didn’t want the need to be dragged back to his cell.

That was only assuming if he could win, fighting strange animals was one thing, but other people with abilities were another.

He was shoved into the open gate and into a circular arena. It was a lot bigger and taller than the one in New York. It had platforms and ledges that could jumped up to above his head, but he could also hear the faint buzz of electricity on the bars that surrounded the arena and stretched up to the ceiling of the room.

It was a good note to keep away from the bars.

Peter seemed to be the first one in there, he had pulled his mask on before he was out of his cell, though he didn’t see much of a reason since they were in Russia. Seriously, what were the chances that someone would recognize him here?

It was a slight hindrance to his vision but it was times like these he was thankful for his spidey sense.

Peter jumbled up to the platforms above as he hung from beneath them waiting for his opponent. He’d need to asses their powers and fighting ability before he charged in to attack.

The announcer spoke something but Peter didn’t understand it, in fact he tried to ignore the amplified voice. It was borderline painful to his ears.

A young man, probably in his early 20s, was pushed into the arena. He looked lost, confused, and scared. He looked like a normal guy, so there was nothing to go on physically that told Peter what the other could do.

He really did hate the fact that he initiated the fight, but his spidey sense warned him on impending danger. He looked around to find the men with guns pointing at them both, motioning them to fight.

_‘Sorry guy, either we fight or we die. I don’t want to get you killed.’_

Peter jumped down from his hiding spot as he landed in his spider like crouched position in front of the man.

The man responded by jumping back in surprise, he spoke something in… what was that? French? They must have people for all over the world here.

Peter let out a small sigh, he never took french but he had a feeling that the words were something along the lines of ‘I don’t want to fight.’

Peter’s chest tightened at the fact he’d have to initiate the battle.

He hesitated.

A shot was fired at Peter’s feet, but he jumped to the side in time to dodge it. He looked where the bullet embedded itself into the wooden floor before glaring at the man who fired. He knew it was a warning shot but they still cut it closer than they should have.

He has to fight or the man dies.

That was his repeating though as he launched himself towards the other in the cage. His fist didn’t even make contact as he was launched back by some kind of blue energy from the man’s hand.

This was going to be a long fight.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Also I'm totally in love with Tony's new suit.


	22. Chapter 22

Tony’s hunt in finding Peter was taking  longer then he liked.

Between roaming the streets as he partly took up Peter’s old patrols and following the few leads he got on Nor, he was barely a few steps ahead from when he first started.

It turned out May was more connected to the underground of New York then he originally thought. From what he was able to gather, she wasn’t originally this involved with the mobs. It started when she saved the life of some big time leader while he was in the hospital, it goes to say that when Tony met the guy, he wasn’t impressed.

He had no information on Nor, just knew that May had taken him out of the courier business around the same time of the last spider sighting. He gave Tony a few other contacts of May after some… convincing.

He wasn’t proud of his actions, but the guys wasn’t talking otherwise, and he _needed_ the information. The longer he took finding Peter, the longer the kid spent in whatever hell he was stuck in.

Tony had been going out almost every night in search of more leads or just to keep up the appearance and fear surrounding what the media named ‘The Widower.’

His first appearance to the public was CCTV catching him breaking into the evidence lab of the Brooklyn precinct. Despite Lieutenant Anderson’s efforts they were going to have to test Peter’s blood eventually, and when they did they would immediately think he was a mutant. His public view was already in the balance and the news of that getting out would only complicate things, especially with the concept of mutants being so new.

Out of all the names he could have gained in the suit the Widower wasn’t half bad, he personally liked referring to it as Sneaky Jr. since it was a predecessor of the Mark 15 he nicknamed Sneaky, but that wasn’t exactly public knowledge so he’d let it slide.

Still, he controlled what the public saw of the Widower easily since every blurry footage or distorted clips cameras got of him were on purpose. Even at the break in he made it look like he was gathering a hit list from the police databases. A few pieces of evidence _might_ have been lost after a night guard  _accidentally_ found him snooping, but he made it chaotic enough to make it difficult for even that weirdly efficient and intelligent Detective Octen to deduce.

Seriously, a guy with his mind could have easily earned a doctorate in something by now.

While the media saw him as yet another spider themed vigilante, the crime worlds saw a different side.

And it terrified them.

Tony couldn’t help but feel smug about that fact.

Sure every bad guy and street thug were aware of Iron Man and his power but they weren’t scared of him, Tony Stark had never been interested in anything less than a global catastrophe in their eyes so the worry of him interrupting their drug deal was nonexistent.

The Widower on the other hand, was obviously very hands on in the New York crime world, not to mention the fact you could never see him coming and by the time you did it was to late.

Methods like that brought out a primal fear of the unknown that humans would never shake, no matter how advanced the society grows.

There would always be a boogeyman.

Right now that was Tony, but no matter how much the thugs and gang bosses talk they never said anything that was useful.

May was good at keeping her tracks hidden, only revealing enough to give the illusion of a full story, but still leaving out major key details. Details that Tony was desperately looking for.

It was clear after month two that she skipped town, but there was nothing in the rumors about Peter. Hell, most didn’t even know she took care of a kid.

That didn’t surprise him, but still, it was frustrating.

It was in the middle of month three of the search that Tony ran into an unexpected face.

A kid that went by Red, who’s real name was Rory Hendrick, the one who was brought in with Peter the last time he saw the kid.

He heard rumors that Nor liked frequenting a hideout for other delinquents.

As he crawled quietly across the roof of the abandoned subway station, facial recognition showed that most of the children here were reported runaways, orphaned, or were labeled as troubled children by social services.

He’d grown accustomed to having the X-ray and infrared active at all times, he counted near a hundred occupants in the area. Not all of them children, but the age range was still early years.

He spotted Rory in a corner with a few others, he couldn’t just make himself visible. Despite how much he wanted to, this place was probably the closest thing to a safe haven for some of the younger children who’s reports hinted at bad homes. He’d hate himself if he took that away from them.

So he stayed hidden, and waited for Rory to wander from the group.

He headed down the subway tracks into the dark tunnel. Tony took his chance to follow. Once far enough away, he grabbed Red by the back of the hoodie with one of the suit’s legs as he suspended him in the air.

Red struggled and cursed but immediately froze when he found himself face to face with the Widower after Tony revealed himself.

“No, no please don’t kill me, I swear I don’t know anything about Nor!” He said quickly.

“I’m not going to kill you,” Said the synthetic voice from the suit. He made it slightly softer when addressing Rory, he was just a kid, this was in no way an interrogation. He wanted to ask a few questions, if he didn’t get truths then he wasn’t going to push.

Rory only relaxed slightly from his words.

“Then what do you want,” His voice was a little less shaky from before.

“To ask question, but it’s your choice to participate,” Tony replied as he slowly lowered Rory back down to the tracks.

“You’re not going to force me to talk like the Deadeyes?” He asked cautiously, he glanced down the tunnel, most likely judging his chances for escape.

Tony lowered himself so he was kneeling on a service platform just adjacent of the tracks, he was still eye level with Rory. The legs of the suit were bent in a relaxed position, though would shift occasionally behind him. “You’re not a Deadeye, you’re also just a kid, and I doubt you have any questions useful for my goals, but you still might have information I might want.”

“... about Nor?” Rory asked hesitantly as he watched Tony.

“Yup, police records show you were arrested with him.”

“More like he was arrested with me, I was being stupid. He would have gotten away to if he didn’t come back for me, I probably would have been shot if it weren't for him,” Rory sounded guilty about the whole ordeal.

“What about before? It’s difficult for me to get smaller rumors, what were the ones about him around here?” Tony asked curiously.

Rory shifted awkwardly before speaking, “Mitch was the one that heard the most, but from what he told me Nor liked to hang out near the dropout corner by himself, the um.. Well it’s where a lot of the college dropouts hang, but I guess since his name was released it made sense. That Parker kid must have been wicked smart if he was hanging out with Tony Stark, probably understood what some of those crack heads were rambling about.”

Tony smiled under his mask, sounded like a Peter thing to do, it was comforting to know he wasn’t completely change at that point, but from what the kid’s been through, there’s no telling what he’ll be like when Tony finally finds him.

“It freaked me out when Iron Man showed up at the police station.”

Technically Widower wasn’t supposed to know that, so it would only make sense if he questioned it. “Iron man showed up?”

“Yeah, started taking to him in sign language I think, not sure, I’ve only seen that stuff in movies,” Rory seemed a little more relaxed now that he realized Widower was no threat to him.

“Anything else?”

“Um, like what?”

“He run into any trouble he couldn’t handle? People that gave him a hard time?” A hint of worry could be heard through the altered voice.

Rory seemed to pick up on it, “Most stayed clear because they knew he was with the Deadeyes, but I heard of a few times where he stuck up for others being picked on.”

“Sounds like him,” Tony muttered fondly.

There was a short moment of silence between the two.

“Are you… like his dad or something?” Rory asked, he sounded a little confused.

Tony considered this a moment, once he got Peter back (there was no if, he was definitely finding Peter) he and Pepper agreed to take him in, that is, if Peter accepted, but he would be technically Peter’s parental figure. The more he looked for the kid the more he wanted to make the adoption a reality.

“Something like that, yes,” Tony finally answered. “Appreciate the cooperation,” he said before Rory could get in another word. He disappeared in that moment and watched as Rory looked around dumbstruck.

He snuck away quietly, it wasn’t long till he was out of the subway system.

* * *

 

It was hard to lose track of the days but easy to forget the months.

At least Peter could only assume it was months, it was most definitely winter when he got there. The freezing nights and little protection from the cold, practically forced him into what he suspected was some kind of hibernative state. He assumed it had something to do with the spider part of his DNA, he remembered vaguely reading about spiders hibernation in grade school.

Well, whatever the sleep was, it was a blessing and a curse. He called it Spider Stasis, since it wasn’t hibernating by the technical definition. He noticed a few things about the stasis. He’s healing halted completely, scratches and shallow cuts that would have been healed by morning, even by his reduced healing factor standards, would remain as they were before he went to sleep. It seemed to halt the function in his body completely.

No wonder, those mutants though he was dead when they first opened his box, it was probably the first time he was forced into the stasis by the cold from the ocean.

Only two things seemed to break him from stasis, impending attack and a rise in temperature.

Lately though, as he felt the season slowly change, it didn’t get cold enough at night for him to go into the stasis, instead leaving him with normal sleep that usually ended prematurely with nightmares. He’d take the reduced healing and dreamless nights any day over the nightmares.

The nightmares were more draining than the fights themselves, he kept seeing himself with blood on his hands. Over and over it would be one of the other mutants he was forced to win against, like he went to far, didn’t control his strength like he should, causing their death.

Sometimes, when his subconscious mind felt especially torturous, he’s friends would be there. They watched in horror as Peter dealt the killing blow. Other times May was there, she’d order him to kill, most times the person she wanted dead was Mr. Stark.

He’d wake up from those ones gasping for breath on the edge of tears, before he had the realization that Mr. Stark actually wanted to help Peter he wouldn’t have had that reaction, but now that Peter pieced together that Mr. Stark was actively looking into May from the short conversation they had on the roof before Peter gave back the suit, it was painful to be forced to kill the only adult that was willing and had the power to help Peter.

After a few of those dreams and having a surplus of time to think, even though most times he was trying to force himself not to, he decided that if he ever got out of there he was finding his way to Mr. Stark.

Peter could’t protect his friends, but Iron Man definitely could.

Letting himself fall from his hanging position and onto his feet, Peter stood at the door as the usual group of guards came to his cell door. Guns weren’t held with as much alertness as when they first escorted him to the arena, they knew he would cooperate.

After months of this and fights every three or four days Peter was accustomed to the routine. He was either told to win or lose, and those days when he wasn’t told anything he usually tried to win if at all possible, but they did have powerful mutants in the arenas sometimes, not to mention whoever was in charge of this place was starting to get reckless. If they didn’t wise up soon he’d bet one of those mutants were going to take the opportunity to escape.

None of them had the same motivation as Peter. They weren’t as easily controlled.

Peter stepped up to the gate of the arena but surprising to him Mr. Thomas walked up to him, he hadn’t seen the man since New York, he was beginning to get the idea that he wasn’t even on the same continent as Peter. Until that very moment of course.

“Alright listen here you little freak, that mutant in there,” he said motioning towards the cage “I’m ordering you to kill it,” the man said bluntly.

Peter just froze, he was glad to have already had the mask on as he slowly looked at Mr. Thomas because there was no way he could hide his shocked expression.

He felt a lump in his throat, there was no way he could kill someone. Winning or losing a fight was one thing, but _killing_ someone??

He was pushed into the arena when the gate slammed shut behind him, he heard the electricity that powered through the cage turn on.

Peter didn’t even get the luxury to stand there shell shocked from the news before his spidey sense spiked.

_Attack, upper left._

Peter immediately rolled forward to dodge, he quickly turned to face his opponent as he rested in an alert crouched position.

Who he saw was only more distressing.

It was a little girl, she was much younger than him but any attempt to guess her exact age was thwarted by the dark green scales that covered her body.

She hissed at him in response to his dodge before lunging at him again. He quickly used his open hand to strike her in the chest in attempts to push her away from him.

It worked but she didn’t fall back as far as he expected, claws on her feet grounded her to the floor. She only slid back a foot but he still took the opportunity to jump into the rafters.

Not only did they want him to kill someone, but they wanted him to kill a little girl!

He absolutely refused, the idea was enraging and he clenched his fist with such force that his nails caused his palm to bleed. Not that he even noticed in that moment.

The girl leap up to him attempting another attack. He could just tell by her movements that she still had a lot to learn in fighting, though her aggressiveness suggests this definitely wasn’t her first one.

He could have easily beat her with a hand tied behind his back, but even with the usual emotional numbness that came with the identity of Nor, he couldn’t find the stomach to harm a little girl.

A sudden jolt from his shock collar caused his body to tense. The girl took the opportunity to throw him against the side of the cage, he received yet another shock as he hit the bars before falling to the ground with a thud.

It took him a second to recover from the stun, but he had already decided in that moment that he would rather die than kill the little girl.

She dropped down next to him but he was already on his feet, he had to think quick, he needed to somehow get her out of here.

But that was something _way_ easier said than done.

Mr. Thomas was there so there was a chance that he would report his disobedience to May, but then May would hurt Ned and MJ.

His heart ached at the thought of them, even more at the fact that his actions where could cost them their lives, but he knew for a fact they would never want him killing a little girl for their sake.

He took a heavy breath as he easily dodged another of the little girls attacks, he had been lightly shoving her back and evading her claws every time she attacked. He could tell she was getting frustrated, and the crowd obviously wasn’t liking the lack of violence.

He searched for any kind of escape, the collars being a big issue. It incapacitated him to quickly to do anything about it and it probably did the same for her.

… her best chance was for Peter to be the one to kill.

He hated to make her do that, he really did and his solution was probably selfish as he threw the trauma to her, but he couldn’t even think of the idea of killing her without feeling nauseated.

Plus…

He’d be free from it all.

He ignored his spidey sense as she swung at him with her fist. He could feel her enhanced strength as he felt the punch collide with his side.

He took everything she gave him only pretending to fight back. He thought it was rather convincing as he made it seem like he struggled to keep up and finally when he was bruised and battered enough where he struggled to stand, he looked up at her through the fractured glass of his goggles.

A small part of him was eager for it to end right there, he was just so tired of everything.

He closed his eyes as she raised her claws, but suddenly a single gunshot rang out through the room, the crowd went quiet.

For a split second Peter though he was hit, but the hope shattered when he heard the thud of a body fall in front of him.

His eyes snapped open. He was immediately faced with the lifeless gaze of the little girl. A single mark near her temple as blood poured out the exit wound on the other side.

Peter laid there in shock, he didn’t even remember to breath until his collar gave him an electric shock of the likes he’d never seen before, but not even that was enough to distract him from the thought of the girls dead eyes.

He didn’t even register that he was being taken back to his cell till he was thrown against the inside wall of it. He was horrified to look down and see the blood splatter on his clothes.

The approaching footsteps were ignored as well as the harsh words of Mr. Thomas as Peter stared at his hands. Not even the beat down he received from the guards with Mr. Thomas snapped him out of the shock.

It was later that night when he noticed someone in the room wheezing for breath, only to realize that it was himself, that took him out of his daze.

Peter sat up slowly clutching his arms to his stomach as the action caused him pain. There was only one thought on his mind now.

If he ever got out of there, Mr. Thomas was going to regret ever hearing the name Nor.

* * *

 

“Look, it’s not my fault that New York is a magnet for vigilantes,” Tony Stark said calmly in the phone.

“Well, we’re ordering you to do something about it!” Thaddeus Ross snapped. “This _Widower_ has tech that’s far beyond what any military force has! Stealth tech of that caliber in the wrongs hands could lead to disaster!”

“I told you before, whatever this guy is using is letting him hide even from my sensors,” Not technically a lie, not that he couldn’t invent something to find the suit, he just hadn’t yet. “So any attempt of going after him is useless without knowing where he is. Not to mention, I don’t know if you’ve noticed but I’ve been busy with looking for a missing child! I don’t care what the accords say I’m not diverting resources from looking for Peter Parker to hunt down a vigilante that hasn’t even killed anyone.”

“Yet!” Ross stressed, “This man could pull off assassinations that we wouldn’t see coming if he wanted.”

“He hardly seems like the type to go after government figures, seems to be strictly targeting the bad guy even the media sees that, so I don’t know about you but announcing that you’d prefer to waste time on finding a vigilante we can't even see unless he wants us to, instead of looking for a kid who was forced into drug trafficking by his psychopathic aunt and is currently MIA will make everyone, especially YOU, look very _very_ bad in the public eye,” Tony snapped. “And you can bet I’ll make sure everyone knows that the government would rather focus on some vigilante instead of a child who was failed to be protected by that very same government,” He was probably being a little dramatic but he really didn’t care, he wanted to make it clear he wasn’t giving up on his search for Peter so easily… even though he’s talking about hunting down himself but that’s besides the point.

“Stark, the kids been gone for almost six months, the chances he’s found are slim to none. Even if-”

“I don’t care,” Tony interrupted, “I’m not giving up on Peter Parker!” With that he hung up.

He cursed at himself slightly for letting his emotions take over like that but he couldn’t stand the thought of Ross pulling the ‘you signed the accords’ card to keep him from looking for Peter.

He just wanted Peter safe.

The kid was too good for this world, and despite his attempts to make it better in the middle of dealing with his own hell Peter still managed to pull the short straw.

He just hoped, that wherever Peter found himself now, his luck would turn for the better.

* * *

 

Peter Parker received another kick to the gut as per his now usual daily dose of abuse.

Ever since he was ordered to kill but refused, his living conditions took a shake decline in quality, as if that were even possible. The restriction of food was more consequential than he anticipated.

Fights were harder without his usual energy and hits hurt more than they did before, not to mention his healing factor was severely lacking. If things continued like they were, he didn’t doubt that he’d die from injuries sustained from a fight.

He wasn’t even sleeping properly anymore, the nightmares were worse than before. They always ended with the little girl’s lifeless eyes.

Luckily, he woke up that morning with the Dobby boy setting a bowl of gruel in front of his cell, the meal did a little bit to distract his mind from the dream, but that also meant he’d be fighting that night. They always gave him a meal on the day of a fight, guess they were evil not stupid.

The little energy really did help when battling, the rest was taken care of by adrenaline.

That evening when the fights took place he was escorted out of his cell later than usual. He was always an opening or mid fight, but this one looked like it was the last of the night.

When he was tossed into the arena he was barely able to keep on his feet, shortly after he turned to face the gate a man in a white tank top and jeans was tossed in. The guy was huge, but not quite Captain America sized.

Still, he dwarfed Peter in size. That was nothing new, but the worrying thing was the man looked well fed, and Peter was far from being in the best condition to fight in the first place.

The man was groggy as he slowly got up, he put a hand to his head as he looked around the arena. “Where the fuck…” his gaze followed to Peter who was standing in a defensive position, “... shit.” His tone was slightly slurred and if Peter didn’t know better he’d say he was hungover. Peter was also surprised to recognize the American accent.

The man stood up slowly as he dusted himself off, he only just now noticed the shock collar. Three metallic claws protruded from his knuckles as he made a fist.

Peter went wide eyed as he assessed his opponent, the fact of the claws alone were big red flash, it was one thing to be pummeled into defeat but another to be sliced. This guy looked like some kind of dog or wolf the way his hair and beard were styled (or was that natural?) so the idea that he’s primary weapon was the claws were the first worry to Peter’s mind.

His tactic would be to strike first and hope to knock him out quickly, otherwise if Peter lost, his survival wasn’t guaranteed… but was that a bad thing?

Either way before the man tried to use his claws to take off the collar Peter took the opportunity to jump to one of the higher platforms using the momentum of the fall as he jumped off to drive a fist into the man’s face.

It knocked him down and he definitely seems surprised. Peter was pretty sure he just fractured his hand with that punch. It felt like he tried to fight a block of vibranium.

“God dammit!” The man spat out blood before turning to Peter. “Got a surprising punch for a little thing, bub,” He faced Peter as his balled his other hand in a fist causing three more claws to slide out of his flesh.

He charged at Peter swinging his claws forward, Peter quickly dodged by sliding between the man's legs. He pushed his hands against the ground as he launched himself forwards to kick the man in the back with both feet. He flew forwards knocking the man into the electrified bards. He got caught in the current and his metal claws seemed to be a great conductor.

His clothes singed and when he pulled away there were burns on his skin, but Peter had to look twice as he watched them heal almost instantly. Just his fucking luck to get someone with claws and extreme healing. Who the hell was this guy anyways?

Peter was definitely not getting an answers especially now that the guy looked pissed. He charged towards Peter with a little more tactic, the fight began.

For a big guy he was fast.

Peter’s spidey sense could only do so much, after dodging and more attempted punches that left peter convinced it did more hurt to himself then the man, his reaction time slowed tremendously.

He got nicks and cuts as the mans claws grazed him in close combat, but the beginning of the end was signified when Peter was too slow to completely dodge a slash to the face.

He was kicked in the knee at the same time causing him to stumble to the ground, his mask ripped off in the process.

The man stepped back instead of killing him like Peter suspected, “they force kids to fight in these things now?” He sounded absolutely appalled by that fact.

Peter looked up at him, but was only able to see out of one eye. Whether it was just from the blood blocking his vision or if he actually lost it there was no telling yet.

The man just seemed to grow in anger, he slashed the collar off Peter effortlessly before slicing his own. He tensed before it was cut, Peter presumed they tried to shock him.

He then rushed to the gate as he sliced it open, then gunfire rang out and Peter stayed ducked to the ground hoping no stray bullets hit him. For the smallest moment he had hoped the man was going to save him, save everyone here maybe, but there was no way he could survive bullets flying.

Except after people screamed and ran, the bullets stopped with chokes of blood and pained screams. Somewhere, something caught fire, Peter could smell the smoke before he saw the glow. It grew quickly and most were more worried about burning alive then the injured freak in the middle of the arena.

There were still a bunch of others in the cells, if they weren't let out they’d suffocate from the smoke before the fire reached them.

Peter forced his body to move despite the pain it caused. Suddenly there was an arms around him but Peter instinctively flinched away.

“Hey kid just trying to help,” Said the man he just fought. “We’re not fighting anymore, let me get you outta here.”

Peter shook his head before pointing towards the door that lead to the cells.

“That’s not an exit,” He replied quickly.

Peter motioned for him to follow anyways, he hardly noticed as the fire crept closer.

The man busted through the door and immediately understood why Peter was so insistent. Peter waited in the doorway as he watched the man cut through all the locks on the door like they were butter. As Peter predicted smoke already started to fill the room, Peter stumbled forward in a fit of coughing.

He was already so weak from the fight and weeks without proper meals, he didn’t even realize he fell face first into the dirt floor of the cell room until he was being picked up by the man.

He was dizzy from the smoke and blood loss, he felt being pulled to his feet but after another flash of the ground suddenly getting closer the world went black.


	23. Chapter 23

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> If you're like me and enjoy listening to music while you read, I suggest Remembrance by Balmorhea. That's what I was lightening to in the beginning of this chapter. Also hey! I'd love to know what music you usually listen to during fics, I'm always looking for good music to write to.

The thing that woke Peter was actually the light shining in from a small attic window. Its path as the sun slowly rose into the late morning, shined it directly into his eyes.

After he slowly regained consciousness he was surprised the light woke him and not the sense of pain shooting through his body, the most notable of it all was the left side of his face. Though, thinking of it now he had grown used to sleeping with pain, whether it be on the surface or his stomach begging for food.

With the light being the first and pain being the second, the third thing he immediately noticed was how soft the ground was under him. He took in a few breaths as he tried to wake up his foggy mind, then he shifted his arms under himself as he sat up. A thin, scruffy, blanket slid off his shoulder as Peter looked around confused.

He was on a ratty old mattress that laid on the floor of a small attic. A few other mattresses lay around the room tucked near the walls, all of them were empty, but in no way looked abandoned.

His mind was finally catching up to his surroundings and he stood up in a defensive position. Anxiety filled his chest as he reached up a hand to his left eye, one he still couldn't see out of, he was met with a coarse fabric that was wrapped around his head.

His memory was quick to return, and his eyes widened as he put a hand to his throat.

He let out a faint whimper of relief as he found his neck no longer held the tight collar that helped his captors control him.

He pulled his hand away as he swallowed and appreciated the fact that he couldn’t feel the sharp edges dig into his throat.

The next thing to check was if he still had an eye, it probably should have been the first worry but in the moment freedom seemed more important than depth perception. He tried shifting the bandages so he could look out of it but as the fabric scraped against the wounds from the claws it only caused more irritation.

He was able to see light out of the bottom of his vision, it was proof enough for now. He shifted the bandages back in there place with a wince.

His attention was then drawn to one of the corners of the room where a spiral staircase lead down to the rest of the house. The clink and clatter of dishes and silverware could be heard.

Peter’s eyes wandered to the window.

He was given no warning from his spidey sense, but the urge to run was much stronger than the one to stay. The sound of footsteps up the metal staircases forced him to make a split second decision.

It probably wasn't the most logical one, but the fresh air and bright sun was calling him.

He bolted towards the window, it surprised him that it wasn’t lock and he pushed open the circular glass slipping out through the small gap. He climbed up the side of the building and found himself on the slanted roof of a house.

He didn’t wait to find out who was walking up the stairs before he jumped to the next rooftop.

And he kept running.

The fresh smells of the air, sun on his skin, and the light was almost blinding from spending god knows how long in the dark dingy cell he was stuck in.

When his legs finally collapsed under him he held tightly to the top of a church tower he found himself on.

Looking out at the city he found himself in, he broke out in a hysterical laugh.

He didn’t care about his aches and pains, or the hunger in his stomach, or even the sting of bright sunlight in his eye that worsened his growing headache.

None of that mattered, nothing else mattered in that moment except for one fact:

_He was finally free._

A breeze shifted his greasy tangled hair, and his cheek felt cold. He slowly reached a hand up, not having realized tears streamed out of his uncovered eye during his fit of laughter. He took in a shaky breath as he looked back out at the city.

He didn’t recognize anything, but that was hardly surprising. He’d never been to Russia before, and he wasn’t even sure where in the country he was.

For a moment he didn’t know what to do with himself.

No one was there to order him around, tell him what to do, to threaten the lives of his friends to force him to cooperate. Hell, chances were Aunt May thought he was dead. The fire probably grew out of control, the last place anyone saw Nor was collapsed in the middle of the arena.

Speaking of collapse, Peter felt his head get dizzy. Despite eating yesterday morning, his body wasn’t used to the running and jumping from rooftops. He could feel the effects of low blood sugar start creep in.

With forced effort, he made himself scale down the church.

He can decide what to do next later, now was a good time to find a decent meal. Well, really anything would be considered decent compared to what he was given before hand. He was almost desperate enough to steal, but he decided to look at his options first before he decided that.

He started walking further into the city, he looked around, wandered for hours.

People gave him odd looks, in areas where sidewalks were not as crowded they seemed to move to the opposite side of the walkway. He didn’t pay them much mind, he was to busy looking at everything.

He’d never been to a different country before, well, except Berlin, that was pretty epic. Though, he didn’t get the same freedom to roam as he did now.

He seemed to wander aimlessly, but in reality he was following the faintest tug of his spidey sense that he’d probably never noticed otherwise if he wasn’t so attuned to it.

He found himself in front of a homeless shelter, at least, that was what he assumed it was judging by the gathering of people outside. They stood in line with ratty clothes and tired looks, Peter could smell the food coming from inside.

He decided to stand in line with them.

Peter was there for an hour waiting, but it gave him good time to think and without his constant anxieties hanging over his head or the worry of threats, his mind was clearer than it had ever been before.

He needed to set goals.

The first one being find Mr. Stark, or have Mr. Stark find him if he was being more accurate.

He regretted not memorizing the man’s number when he first got it on the bus to the decathlon, a time that felt like years ago. What was the date even?

He waved the thought away, he could find out later.

Having no other way of contacting Mr. Stark, he needed to figure out something.

If he used his email at some local computer then it could be picked up by someone else trying to look for him. He couldn't risk revealing that he was alive just yet, it could put his friends in danger.

It had to be someway that only Mr. Stark would recognize it as him.

Peter found himself leaning against a wall with a tray of food in hand. He ate what was given to him, which was probably three times the amount he was used to.

A old box TV was mounted to the wall at the far side of the room. His attention was drawn to the screen by the image of smoldering buildings. Peter wondered if that was where the arena was.

His question was answered as the camera panned over one of the buildings, the mangled metal of the arena could be seen in the rubble. He let out a small breath of amusement, he hoped Mr. Thomas got caught in that fire, it was easier than having to go after him later.

He didn’t even know what he would do if he confronted the man.

Peter shook his head in attempt to clear the thought, he didn’t want to think about that now, he had other problems to solve.

Though, he did slightly regret the action since it irritated his headache.

It was then he noticed one of the workers approach him, she had a concerned expression as she glanced over him.

“Ты в порядке?” _(Are you okay?)_ She looked from the bandage on his head to the tattered and ripped clothes he wore.

Peter just looked at her confused, he tilted his head in hoped she’d be able to read his expression stating that he didn’t understand.

“ты не говоришь по русски?” _(You do not speak Russian?)_ Peter could tell she was asking a question but that was about all he knew, they didn’t exactly teach him the local language while he was locked up down there.

“Um..” She continued, “Qu'en est-il du français?” _(What about French?)_

Peter noticed she switched languages but shook his head again.

“English?” She then asked. Peter quickly nodded. She smiled at him before continuing, “I was asking if you were okay? You’re bandages are seeping through.”

Peter instinctively brought his hand up to the rough fabric on his face, before lowering it to make the sign telling those who knew it that he couldn’t speak. She just gave a confused look.

Peter then gesture writing on his hand. She seemed to understand that as she pulled a pen and paper out of the apron she wore, then handed them to him.

There was a strange relief of holding the two items.

‘I’m fine, I was headed off to get them redone,’ Peter lied, she seemed like a nice woman, he really didn’t want to worry her.

She gave a small nod, “Well, if you need help I’m here,” she said kindly.

Peter handed the notebook and pen back to her but she held it out. “I’ve got plenty, you can keep that… I, um, I hate to say this, but we’ll be locking up soon. You’ll have to go before then, we’re only allowed to serve food. It’s not an actual shelter to stay at.”

Peter gave her an understanding nod before pulling the pen and notepad back. He watched as she walked back towards the serving area. He waited a moment then put his tray up before he made his way to the building exit, he could see other’s start to clear and the kitchen was in the midst of packing up.

With the food he just ate, he started feeling a lot better then the before. His body worked fast in processing the nourishment. He hopped they served daily, with regular meals like that he’d be set.

It was only his first day free so he decided to check the city out, maybe figure out where he was.

The day went on as he wandered around, from a few English signs and a handy travelers map he found in a trash can, it turns out he was in Moscow of all places. No where near the Saint Basil’s Cathedral, but he guessed the universe thought it was to easy to put him near there, otherwise he’d know exactly where he was. The building was on one of the biggest tourists attractions in the area, it’s colorful architecture was world famous.

He might just swing by- no, right, he didn’t have his webshooters. He was actually glad they were left in May’s apartment. He doubted May would have any idea what they were or how they worked. Either way, whatever happened, when he got back to New York he could always just make more.

Peter was already on his way back towards the homeless shelter that wasn’t technically a shelter, but at the moment he didn’t know what else to call it.

The roof of the place looked comfortable, it wasn't supposed to be accessible to normal people so it was a good spot to sleep for the night. The temperature that evening was decent and he was eager to sleep under the night sky.

The sun was dipping into twilight as he approached the building, he was going to make a turn into the adjacent alleyway to scale up the wall but just as he did he heard the frightened screams of a woman.

Peter quickly turned as he listened closely for a commotion.

He ran across the street down one of the narrow roads when he spotted a man with a knife pointed at woman who was crowded against the wall.

Guess it didn’t matter where he was, apparently muggings were a necessity of city life.

Without a second thought Peter ran towards the man, he grabbed the wrist that was holding the knife as he pried the weapon out of his hand. It wasn’t difficult and even with his reduced strength he was stronger than the average person. Using his other hand, he thrusted his palm towards the man’s chest causing him to stumble back onto the street a handful of feet away.

The man cursed something in Russian before scrambling away.

Peter made sure to stand between him and the woman as he rushed past, it was only then that he turned to face the would be victim to find it was the same lady from the homeless shelter.

She looked frightened but relieved.

“Thank you,” She breathed, “Thank you so much, I don’t know what I would have…” She trailed off as she caught her breath. He could see her hands shake slightly as she pulled her purse closer to her body.

Peter took a step away from her so not to impose so much on her personal space. He took out the pen and notepad she had given to him just hours ago.

‘Are you alright?’

“Yes,” She nodded quickly, “I’m fine, thanks to you.” She looked up at him but her gaze shifted to the bandages on his eyes. “You haven’t changed your bandages?”

‘I’ve been busy,’ he quickly wrote.

She looked at him for a moment then down the street opposite of where the mugger ran. “I have a first aid kit at home if you’d like to use it.”

Peter looked at her hesitantly.

“It’s my thanks to you,” She said with a small smile. “Plus I don’t know if I could walk home by myself, that man might come back.”

Peter let out a quiet sigh before nodding, she did have a point.

They walked down the street together in a comfortable silence. Peter had tossed the knife into a trashcan along the way.

She lived in a two story apartment building, they walked up to the second floor and entered one of the doors. He felt off being there, and it felt odd that this woman would let him into her home after just seeing him at the homeless shelter.

The apartment was a decent size, quite cozy in fact.

The woman told him to wait there and she soon returned with a first aid kit as well as a bundle of clothes. He raised an eyebrow at the sight.

“I noticed your clothes were in very bad condition. My son just moved out but he left the clothes he didn’t want, I thought these ones might fit you,” She handed the clothes out to him and Peter quickly wrote on the notepad.

‘I couldn’t accept those.’

“I must insist you do, not many would risk their lives like that to help someone in need,” She cleverly forced the objects in his hand as he raised his arms to write in the notepad again.

Peter was going to say that it was hardly a risk, the guy was obviously an amiture and probably didn’t know how to properly use the knife.

“The bathroom is just down the hall, feel free to use the shower,” She said kindly before walking into the kitchen. There was a stack of dishes in the sink that she started to wash.

Peter watched her for a moment before turning to go down the hall.

He couldn’t help but laugh at the mention of a shower, probably the nicest way someone could say he needed one.

Closing the door to the bathroom he instinctively locked it before setting the bundle of clothes and first aid kit on the sink.

When he looked at himself in the mirror, he was almost convinced he was looking through a window at another person.

He didn’t even recognize himself in the reflection.

He looked like death, there was really no other way to describe it. His cheeks were borderline hollow and he could see the outline of the socket of his eye. His hair was matted but it was too dark and dirty to tell the difference between dried blood or dirt.

With the ruined leather jacket, torn jeans, and bandages that reminded Peter of old film reels of injured soldiers, it was no wonder people were avoiding him in the streets.

He let out a sigh as he picked at his hair, it hanged down to his jawline. He couldn’t remember a time in his life where it was this long, he wasn’t a fan if he was being honest.

He was almost afraid to see what was under his bandages, he knew he still had his eye, but the constant pain and heat he felt from the wound worried him. Usually wounds this old didn’t feel like that and he wondered if it might be infected.

He carefully slid the fabric off his head. He winced as the fabric stuck to the still open cuts, now that definitely wasn’t right. While in his fights he’d grown very accustomed to how his healing factor worked, either the injury was worse than he thought or it truly was infected.

Once the bandage was completely off he pushed his hair back to get a better view of his face.

There were two claw marks that stretched down his face, the longest reaching from the top corner of his eye near his eyebrow down to his jaw line. The other started just above his temple stopping under his ear.

If it were any closer to his eye he would have definitely lost it, he was thankful he didn’t, after all, he really needed depth perception when swinging through the city.

As he examined the cuts he scrunched his nose, the cut was definitely infected. It probably didn’t help that he landed face first on the dirty floor of the cell room before passing out.

That just complicated things more, he’d need antibiotics or he’d probably start getting a fever soon. He had no place to recover if that did happen, and he didn’t want to test how his body would handle it.

Best case scenario his body would take care of it without external help, worst case would be he ended up in a hospital with a bad fever. That could notify anyone who thinks he’s dead, not to mention they’d be quick to discover he wasn’t human, so he didn’t want to risk that.

He continued to think as he stripped the old dirty clothes that he’s worn since Mr. Thomas first gave to him, before stepping into the warm shower.

It felt nice against his skin as the dirt and grim rinsed down the drain.

He stepped out to dry himself off before putting on the clothes he was given and redressing the cuts on his face.

The clothes would have probably fit him perfectly before, but it was only now that he realized just how much weight he lost due to the restriction of food. He could easily count all his ribs as well as see the ridges of his spine, no wonder he felt slower. He hardly had the muscles to perform the usual lighting fast reaction time he was used to.

He quietly stepped out of the bathroom with his old clothes still in hand, he didn’t want to impose more than he already had on the woman’s hospitality. So he scribbled a quick thank you on a piece of paper before slipping out the door while she finished the dishes in the kitchen.

His wet hair felt cold against the night air as he dumped his old clothes in a dumpster.

He diverted from going back to the homeless shelter, instead opting for a trip to one of the streets he walked down earlier with a number of department stores.

During his shower he got an idea, it probably wasn’t the best one but it would have to do in the current situation.

The only way he could contact Mr. Stark was by getting his attention, it was a long shot but surely the news of a new vigilante showing up in Moscow might get his attention.

He just needed a few supplies first.

Stealing was not his favorite thing to do, but right now it was necessary.

* * *

 

Peter likes to think he’s pretty adaptable.

During the weeks that followed after the fire, he fell into the role of local vigilante easily. Despite being in an entirely different country there was really no difference in crime.

It wasn’t nearly the scale of bank robberies and hybrid weapons deals he was used to but the amount of petty crime made up for it.

It was honestly surprising how often people gave their thanks in food. He didn’t even ask for it, they just gave him food. It was honestly amazing.

He started to gain more muscle mass, he had met with the woman who gave him clothes that first day every time he was in the homeless shelter for the daily meal. Her name was Maria, she was a school teacher and spent the afternoons of her summer break volunteering at the shelter.

He was very grateful when she brought him a few books to help him learn Russian. It was by no means an easy language to learn but he was slowly getting the hang of it, especially when he spent any time he wasn’t crime fighting pouring over the books.

Maria once asked him how old he was, no doubt noticing he looked younger now that he was cleaned up. He lied saying he was eighteen. Thankfully she never asked where he came from or why he looked the way he did when she first met him.

It was probably the fourth day on the street that he broke into a pharmacy. He almost didn’t make it out since it took longer then expected to find the right antibiotics, the police busted through the door just as he escaped through the ventilation.

The claw marks on his face were not healing as expected, they were getting better and after two weeks he didn’t need the antibiotics but the cuts on his face looked like they were scaring over. He tried to pretend he didn’t notice.

Ever since he got bit by the spider none of his injuries scarred. Surly this one wouldn’t either. Right?

He didn’t need to wear the bandages anymore but he did so anyways, a faux effort to pretend that the injury needed more time to heal so it didn’t scar.

He scratched under the fabric gently as he looked off at the city.

He sat atop a tall apartment complex with his legs hanging over the edge, he had the language text book in his lap as he took a break from the studying to look off at the skyline.

The last lines he read from the book were introductions.

_Привет меня зовут _____._

Which translated to: Hello, _my name is _____._

This line made him think more then it probably should have.

When Maria asked for his name he instinctively told her Nor, because Peter didn’t steal, but going by that Nor didn’t fight crime, and he wasn’t Spider-Man since he would have never found himself in Russia in the first place.

But if he wasn’t any of then, then who was he?

He’d been compartmentalizing his life ever since he decided he was going to be Spider-Man, he kinda had to since Peter was by no definition brave in his opinion, not when dealing with the likes of Aunt May.

But then Nor came along, that version of him was more planning and careful. If he had been more like Nor when he was hiding his suit then May would have never discovered him as Spider-Man.

But…

Maybe that was his problem.

That he had decided to separate his identities entirely.

If Peter was more like Spider-Man, he would have been able to accept the help from Mr. Stark that day with the ferry, despite wearing the suit he still fell back on his basic identity. The one that feared the consequences May threatened.

May didn’t even have control over him anymore, and if his long shot plan ended up working and Mr. Stark found Peter then she never would for the rest of his life.

But he still needed to speak, he needed to tell Mr. Stark everything, and it wouldn't count if he just signed it or wrote it down. Unless he used his actual voice to tell him, then May still had power of him.

That though still sent shivers down his spine, he was fighting a childhood trauma that was literally forged in fire. It was all easier imagined then said.

Though, considering the fact that he wasn’t just frightened little Peter anymore, but also the heroic, head strong Spider-Man, and the confident Nor. He was all of them.

And they were all Peter Parker.

Peter smiled to himself, it wasn’t like the borderline hysteria he felt when he first felt the sun after months of captivity, but a confident one at the realization that no one could control him now.

“Hello, my name is Peter Parker,” He said softly to himself, “And I know who killed Officer Ben Parker.”

His tone was low and hollow from nearly a decade of disuse, and some syllables weren’t steady, but he knew what he was saying.

In that moment that’s all the counted.

* * *

 

Speaking to himself was one thing but to  other people was another. He still kept to the pen and notepad when talking to others, mostly because he wanted the first person to hear his words to be Mr. Stark.

The summer days were getting warmer and he found himself lying on the concrete floor of a shutdown construction sight as he tried to cool off from a busy afternoon of running around the city in a dark hoodie and sweats that he used for a costume.

He had changed since then and wore the thinner cooler clothes that Maria gave him.

He had brought the language text book with him as he continued through the lesson where he left off. He whispered to himself some of the Russian pronunciations but couldn't do that vary long since his throat would get tired after only thirty minutes.

He felt pretty relaxed until his Spider sense gave him a warning.

_Watched._

Peter, as calmly as he could, stood up and gathered up the textbook stuffing loose papers into the pages.

He walked down the partly constructed staircase on his way out of the building, but he felt the warning down his spine signifying he was being followed.

The moment he turned a corner into an incomplete apartment that was shrouded in darkness. Peter silently jumped up to the roof and hid in the darkest corner.

He hopped to catch sight of his follower before they could attack him, but his spidey sense was only giving him the warning of being followed, there seemed to be no-

_Caution._

Never mind that thought, it seems his suspicions were reasonable.

He clung to the corner with his feet on the wall and one hand on the ceiling as he clutched his textbook close to his chest with the other. Whoever had followed him probably already saw his face so there was no reason to pull his makeshift mask up.

He slowed his breathing and stayed absolutely quiet as he watched a woman walk cautiously through the doorway.

“Я знаю, что ты здесь, я просто хочу поговорить,” _(I know you’re here, I just want to talk)_ She spoke calmly with an even voice. He understood the gist of what she said but was still lacking in a lot of his Russian knowledge.

She scanned the room and her eyes seemed to glossed over his hiding spot like she didn’t see him, but his spidey sense gave the silent warning of _found._ She was probably pretending to give him a false sense of security.

Judging by his spidey sense she wasn’t currently a threat, but he still needed to be cautious.

There was really no sense in hiding when she knew where he was, so he dropped from the ceiling and her head immediately looking in his direction.

Peter was a little surprised when he realized who she was. The light from the doorway revealed the woman to be none other than the Blackwidow. He didn’t notice before because she was wearing fairly regular clothes and her hair was blond.

Last time he met her she was wearing the skin tight leather suit and had red hair, but that was over a year ago in Germany.

Peter slowly approached her and she made no move to step back, but she made an odd expression as he stepped into the light.

“You’re Peter Parker,” There was a faint curious tone to her voice.

Peter froze at the mention of his name. How did she know him?

She was super spy, so it didn’t surprise him that she read his reaction, “Stark is looking for you, your story is all over the media in New York.”

Peter tried to keep his expression plain, but he was surprised that his story was even being covered. Did that mean everyone knew him as Nor?

He felt his stomach drop at the idea of his friends finding out what he did.

‘I doubt that’s why you’re here,’ Peter signed, she was the Blackwidow after all. He suspected she knew sign language.

“True, but I am surprised that you’re the Russian Vigilante. Stark’s brightest and youngest intern… you were at Germany weren't you?”

‘And you betrayed Mr. Stark,’ Peter signed with a scowl.

“Things were complicated, it was necessary,” She tilted her head slightly as she examined him, her eyes glancing over his bandages.

‘I don’t care what you want, we’re done talking,’ Peter gave her a cold look before he started towards the door.

“You haven’t even heard my offer,” She commented.

‘Don’t need to,’ he signed as he passed her.

He watched her give an amused smirk out of the corner of her mouth. As Peter took a turn to walk down the empty hall, he picked up Blackwidow speaking to someone through what he assumed as an earpiece.

“No, but he’s not a threat. We don’t have to worry about him.”

Peter couldn’t help but wonder what exactly she did want, if anything it was probably some kind of recruitment attempt, or a threat assessment, maybe both?

Either way, Peter felt kinda flattered.

* * *

 

Tony Stark hated to admit it, but he was getting nowhere in his investigation.

It didn’t matter how many thugs he threatened or computer’s he hacked, the furthest he got was finding out that Nor was once in a cage fight with a few genetically and mechanically enhanced animals. There was nothing after that, no sign of the leader of the cage fights, Miguel Thomas, or May Parker!

There was NOTHING!

“Tony, you’ve got to cool this down, take a break from the suit. Pepper said you started wearing it around the lab. That-”

“There is nothing WRONG with the suit!” Tony snapped, interrupting Rhodey over the secure video call, “The only thing that’s wrong is Peter is _still_ missing and there’s no more leads!”

Rhodey looked worried by the outburst, “I’m not saying stop looking, I’m just saying don’t wear the suit so-”

“Seven months, Rhodey!”

“I know-”

“ _Seven months!_ Do you not want me to find him?” Tony accused.

“Of course I want you to find him Tones, I just think there’s better ways of going about it then using that stealth suit. Every time Pepper talks to me, she’s only getting more worried about you using it.”

“The suit is not the problem,” Tony said quickly, waving off the comment, “Pepper’s just being over dramatic and worried over nothing, if anything she’s distracting me from my work,” He said a little harsher then he should have.

Rhodey raised an eyebrow, obviously not approving of the response, “Since when has Pepper ever been a distraction?”

Before Tony could answer that, his attention was drawn away by an email notification that FRIDAY judged to be important enough to point out.

“Tony?” Rhodey said, trying to bring the billionaire's attention back to the conversation at hand.

“... I’m going to have to call you back, Rhodes,” Tony said without breaking eye contact with the phone. Tony immediately hung up on Rhodes.

The email was from a dummy account with only a video link attached.

It was a YouTube video shot from a shaky phone camera. The video showed someone in dark clothes and a mask stopping two car thieves before making a quick exit by jumping towards a nearby building before the camera cut away.

“Friday, find out where that is,” Tony watched the fifteen second video on repeat. That fighting style was shockingly familiar.

<On it, boss. Checking license plates.>

It was barely a second before the AI responded.

<They are owned by residence of Moscow Russia, I have also found something of note in local news reports.> FRIDAY said before putting up the highlighted news reports on the holographic screen that once held Rhodey’s image.

It was nothing front page, probably why Tony hadn’t seen it before. Most of the stories were on the later pages that were easily missed, but they were all about a new vigilante, one that’s reported to climb walks and have enhanced strength.

“What the hell is Peter doing in Russia!” Tony said with a laugh of disbelief.

He couldn’t believe he finally found him.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> AHHHH!!


	24. Chapter 24

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Because I'm just as impatient as all of you when concerning the release of chapters, her's another!!! and it's GOT SO MANY MORE WORDS AND FEELS.

“Pepper, I need you to schedule something in the UK,” Tony practically ordered as he walked into the living room with a StarkPad in hand. “Make it a holiday, or fake busy meetings that I’ll  be avoiding,” He continued without missing a beat.

Pepper just scowled at him, “No, you have _two_ very important stockholder meeting that you cannot miss this weekend!”

He rolled his eyes at her temper, she had become increasingly irritable lately, and he didn’t know why, not that it mattered at the moment. He needed to get to Russia, he was _so_ close to finding Peter.

“Skip it, take care of it, do something. Whatever it is, make it quick,” He waved her off as he made a beeline to the kitchen. He opened the refrigerator to grab a bottle of water.

His response only seemed to make her more irritable, he hardly noticed.

“Tony, I know you’re worried about Peter but you can’t just lock yourself in your lab and treat me like-”

“Pepper! I found him,” He quickly interrupted.

She suddenly looked surprised, “What-”

“He’s in Russia of all places, there’s reports of a new vigilante that can climb up walls, super strength, and all the other characteristics of Spider-Man minus the web slinging,” He set the water bottle aside as he walked over to her. He put his hands gently on her arms. “Pep, I finally found him. I just need you to get me over the ocean without questions and a schedule I can easily disappear from. I can take care of the rest.”

“You really found him?” She asked quietly.

“Best lead I’ve had so far. There’s video proof that was taken two days ago, I need to get there quick in case something happens and I lose him again.”

She looked at him a little shocked but there was a hopefulness in her eyes, “Ok, I’m sure I can set up something with the London division, I can get something on Monday but you’ll still need to go to the stockholder meeting,” She pulled out her phone as she started to get things set up.

“Thank you Pep,” Tony said as he leaned in to kiss her cheek.

“Thank me by finding Peter, who knows what that poor boy has been through.”

“I’m going to get things ready on my end, I’ve got a few things I need to check with the suit,” He quickly turned on his heal as he started heading back to the workshop.

“Tony?”

“Hm?” He faced her just as he got to the doorway.

“Once you find him, you’re getting rid of that suit right?” She asked cautiously.

“Yeah, sure, whatever,” Tony waved her off as he continued towards the workshop.

Pepper looked off at the doorway Tony just disappeared though as she bit her bottom lip. She shook her head before looking back down at her phone.

* * *

 

After Blackwidow’s visit things were quiet, well, as quiet as they can be when you’re actively seeking out crime.

Peter started helping around the homeless shelter when he could. There were one of two incidences where a fight nearly broke out at the shelter, things were getting tense after one of the major donors pulled their funding.

Food portions were smaller and fewer volunteers showed up as the summer started coming to an end.

But Maria still kept to her normal schedule, she was more or less the unofficial leader of the project. Which really wasn’t fair, as she was having to juggle planning her lessons for the coming school year while also having to deal with the struggling finances of the shelter.

Peter couldn’t do much except for offer his help in the kitchen during serving times. During which he’d listen to her rambles and complaints about how some of the donors were dealing with the money, and that they were only giving the bare minimum for tax write offs.

One evening they closed up like usual, luckily it was a quiet night and there were no incidences during serving.

Maria turned to him after locking the door to the shelter, the older woman looked tired but at the same time content.

“I think I can make it home on my own tonight, Nor,” She said with a small smile.

‘You sure?’ Peter wrote on the now worn out notepad.

“Yeah, plus there's a small fair going on in the park this evening, you should go. It seems like something you’ll like,” She lightly pat his shoulder before walking past him.

Peter watched her walk down the sidewalk as he put the notepad and pen into his pocket. He absently rubbed the side of his cheek in thought, he no longer wore the bandages and had to face the realization that the claw marks on his cheek were there to stay.

He had no other planes then paroling, but lately the streets have been calm in the area, he liked to think he had something to do with that, so he decided there wouldn’t be any harm in visiting the park for a few hours.

The small park was decorated with lights and different booths set up around the walkways. There were venders and games, as well as a small stage with short plays being performed.

All of it was in Russian of course, but that wasn’t nearly as much of a problem as it was before. He prided himself on fast learning, since he already had the basics of the language, he easily enjoyed the performances.

But he should have suspected the night wouldn’t end well, with his current track record it wasn’t a surprise.

It was late when everyone started to pack up, the last performance wrapped up and Peter had been watching from the back row as he sat against the trees.

Most everyone else had brought blankets or lawn chairs to sit on and Peter was very tempted to just climb the tree for a better view but decided not to in the end.

He slowly got up from his spot as he headed out of the park, but it was then that things took an off turn.

He got the strangest feeling that he was being followed, but it had to just be his paranoia since his spidey sense wasn’t warning him of anything.

That still didn’t stop him from spotting movement out of the corner of his eye. The flickering of a light as if something passed it, or the shifting of trash on the ground caused by a nonexistent breeze.

It felt like something was hunting him, and it was only more terrifying that his spidey sense wasn’t reacting to anything.

_‘It was just paranoia, caused by a lack of sleep_ ,’ Peter kept telling himself, but it hardly help his nerve.

He was about a block away from the park when he finally had enough, the moment he turned the next corner he ran.

If he was just paranoid then nothing would happen, but if he _was_ being followed he didn’t want to risk getting caught.

He hurried down a back alley and jumped up a trash can onto the wall as he made it to the roof.

Something heavy landed in front of him, the sound of it was so quiet that only his sensitive hearing could pick up the noise of it’s movements that whoever it was obviously made an effort to hide it.

“Peter?” Asked a deep voice from in front of him. Suddenly a figure shimmered into existence. A human shaped body in some kind of costume with four large spider like legs suspending it from the ground.

Peter looked up with wide eyes, he didn’t waste a second before he ran to the edge of the roof to jump to the next.

Mr. Thomas must have hired someone to find him, he knew he should have been more careful.

He could hear the figure follow as it effortlessly jumped the gap between buildings.

On foot Peter didn’t think he had much of a change against them, he really did miss his webshooters.

His only option of escaping them was fighting them off, but he’d need to go somewhere he had the the advantage. Judging on how they relied on the legs, a small space would be preferable, the legs would be more of a hindrance at that point than a help.

Peter jumped back on the streets with a rolling land as he darted into the entrance of a drainage system.

He could hear them follow behind, but he didn’t realize how close they were until he was grabbed by the leg. He was lifted off the ground before he could face plant into the concrete.

One of the slim legs coiled itself around Peter’s chest and arms like a snake, somehow creating and dismantling joints when needed.

He looked down at the leg very confused, it reminded him of the nanoparticles Mr. Stark was developing, but that was impossible, everyone else in the world was decades away from that tech… unless.

A set of hands on his shoulders snapped him out of though, with him standing on his feet, his assailant standing in front of him. The mask quickly retracted on the man’s face as the spider arm that was restraining Peter suddenly pulled away.

Peter took an unsteady step back, he backed into the wall behind him as he stared in disbelief.

Mr. Stark pulled his hands away as he held them up in surrender. “Hey, it’s okay Peter. It’s just me,” He said gently, “Sorry about the scare, I wasn’t sure it was yo- oof!”

Peter slung himself at the billionaire, practically attacking him with a hug.

Mr. Stark didn’t hesitate to wrap his arms around the teen in return, he must have notice Peter’s body shake and the small sobs escape, “It’s alright kid,” he muttered quietly.

“I’m sorry,” Peter choked out.

“Huh?” Mr. Stark sounded surprised at the fact Peter actually spoke, but who could blame him? Peter hadn’t said anything to anyone for nearly ten years.

He pulled away to look Peter in the face, of course his eyes were immediately drawn to the scars on the side of Peter’s face. Peter could see the worry in Mr. Stark’s eyes.

“I’m sorry, I-... I didn’t want to leave,” Peter’s voice was barely above a whisper.

“Pete,” he looked Peter over before pulling him back into a hug. “God, I can’t imagine what you’ve been through,” He said quietly, “But we need to get you home first.”

Peter tensed at the word ‘home,’ he didn’t really have anywhere to go. Sure Mr. Stark was going to help him deal with Aunt May but what about after all that? He had nowhere.

_‘Where is home…’_ it was less than a question and more of a grim statement.

It turned out Mr. Stark was supposed to technically be in London, he was there on SI business and had snuck over to Russia using a quinjet he borrowed from the Avenger’s compound.

The walk (more like a run really since they lept from building to building) to the quinjet was mostly quiet.

Peter had to admit none of this felt real.

In all honesty, he was just waiting for the other shoe to drop.

That all this was just a cruel dream he would wake up from at any moment, but after an hour of silence during the flight to London nothing changed.

He was still sitting in one of the seats that lined the inside wall of the aircraft. He was fully awake, despite the fact he dug his nails into his palm in hope the pain would wake him up from the nightmare if it was one.

Mr. Stark just walked in from the cockpit, he had taken off the nanosuit at one point. There was an odd relief at that, Peter really didn’t like the way the thing looked.

The man cautiously walked over to sit next to Peter, leaning over, his elbows rested on his knees so he could get a better look at Peter’s face.

He opened his mouth to say something, but Peter interrupted with his own words.

“This isn’t a dream is it?” He asked quietly.

“Thankfully not, this is very real, I promise,” Mr. Stark replied after a small moment of pause, he lightly put a hand on Peter’s shoulder, as if to prove he was really there.

Peter tensed a little but let out a shaky breath as he buried his face his hands, and he took a moment before leaning back against the chair. He could already feel his throat getting sore from the broken sobs and the few words he spoke.

‘My friends,’ Peter signed, ‘If I go back to New York, May will know I’m alive. She’ll hurt them,’ his breath suddenly got caught in his throat at the thought of that evil woman getting anywhere near his friends.

“We can work that out when we get back to the states, we’ll need to fake your return first. Everyone in New York thinks you’re running with the cartel,” Mr. Stark signed.

Peter nodded thinking back to Blackwidow telling him he made the news.

“Peter…” Mr. Stark started cautiously, “They made you fight didn’t they?”

Peter nodded, he could feel his hands start to shake at the thought of the dead little girl they killed instead of him. His hand automatically went up to his throat to make sure the collar wasn’t still there.

“I didn’t want to,” Peter forced out, his voice broke slightly and was already getting croaky. He could feel a few tears stream down his cheek as he curled his feet onto the chair and leaned towards Mr. Stark.

The older man wrapped his arms around Peter for the third time that evening, but it was slightly different than the others, or maybe it was the same and he was just now noticing.

He felt something he hadn’t felt in years.

He felt safe.

He finally felt _safe._

Something swelled in his chest, but it wasn’t the usual anxiety that he’d been accustomed to. He felt relief and joy at the thought that in that moment he was truly safe.

He was safe from forced fights.

He was safe from Mr. Thomas.

He was safe from Aunt May.

Peter couldn’t stop himself from completely breaking down as he clutched the fine threaded undershirt that Mr. Stark wore with his suits. It was only after a minute that Peter realized that he was utterly exhausted. He had to fight the urge to sleep but his body was putting up a hell of a fight.

Peter didn’t want to wake up on one of the roofs of Moscow, but it was a uphill battle, and eventually the world faded.

* * *

 

Tony let Peter sleep in his arms for the remainder of the trip, it wasn’t till they were ten minutes away from the landing sight that he gently laid Peter down on the seats before going up to the cockpit. It was only a handful of minutes later that he heard a crash from behind that he quickly returned to the hull of the quinjet to investigate.

Peter stood there wide eyed and panicked as he backed himself against the bay doors. He looked around quickly before his eyes locked onto Tony.

“Peter, hey, you’re alright. You’re in the quinjet, we’re landing in London soon,” Tony held his hands up, showing he meant no hard.

Peter took a breath to calm himself as he looked around again, he nodded quickly before he straightened up. He kept his arms close to himself as he moved closer to Tony.

“How long?” The kid croaked quietly.

“About four minutes,” Tony still couldn’t get over the scar that slashed across the side of Peter’s face. What kind of opponent did Peter face that even the kids abilities couldn’t heal properly?

Tony clenched his fist, the faint image of Tony standing atop the bodies belonging to those who hurt Peter was satisfying.

The man slightly shook his head, he didn’t remembering being so brutal in his revenge plots. He pushed the thought back as he spoke again, “Want to check the front out? I’m sure there’s a few things that might interest you.”

Peter looked up at him wide eyed, it was more of awe then horror this time.

“Come on, kiddo,” Tony waved as he walked into the cockpit.

Peter sat in the copilot’s seat as he watched Tony switch to manual piloting as he took the controls from FRIDAY.

For the next few minutes Peter watched closely as the genius steered the quinjet to the roof of a hotel. Tony made a few comments explaining the panels on the outside of the jet that helped it stay hidden. They soon landed gently and the bay door opened without a command.

Peter watched as Tony reached down to a suitcase shaped object, instead of picking it up, he placed a hand on it. The particles of the box shifted and slithered up Tony’s arm quickly, he could feel the nanotech stretch across his body as it made the shape of blazer and the excess nanoparticles hid just under his shirt.

Peter watched with interest, but Tony could have sworn there was distrust in his eyes towards the stealth suit. Tony wasn’t sure why, but that made him a little angry.

Tony quickly stood up as he turned to exit the cockpit, he scrunched his nose while out of Peter’s view. Why was he mad at that? Peter had every right to be skeptical of things, especially after what he’d been through.

~~_Maybe Pepper was right about the-_ ~~

_Pepper was wrong about the suit, Peter will get used it eventually._

“Pep’s waiting for us in the room, she’s actually been eager to meet you,” Tony said as he stepped out of the jet. Peter was very close behind.

‘Really?’ Peter signed, his expression almost in disbelief.

“We’ve all been worried about you, kid.” Tony said gently, he lightly put an arm behind Peter as he placed a hand on the kid’s opposite shoulder. Peter flinched slightly at the touch almost causing Tony to pull away, but kept his hand there after Peter leaned into his arm slightly.

The quinjet hatch closed once they were a few feet away and the aircraft silently drifted back into the air before disappearing into the clouds.

He lead Peter to the roof doors, then down a few flights of stairs before they reached the floor of Tony and Pepper’s room.

He could tell Peter was on high alert as if he was assessing the place for any kind of threat. Tony lightly rubbed his thumb across Peter’s shoulder before he pulled away to open the door to the room.

He held the door open for the kid and watched at Peter took cautious steps that were obviously practiced to look casual. If Tony wasn’t watching Peter so closely he wouldn’t have noticed.

The room was by no means small. There were two bedrooms, a living room, a bathroom, and even a little nook for a kitchen.

Tony could hear Pepper’s voice from one of the bedrooms as she talked on the phone. Peter visibly tensed at the sounds, he looked back at Tony as the man closed the door, as if to make sure he was still there.

Pepper must have heard the door as she said polite goodbyes to whoever she was talking to and said she’d call back and reschedule the meeting later.

“Tony did you-” She stopped mid sentence as she walked out of the room to find Peter standing in the middle of the living room. He had that deer in the headlights look after glancing towards Pepper.

Pepper’s gaze softened and along with her tone, “You must be Peter.”

Peter nodded slowly before raising his hands to sign, but he quickly glanced towards Tony silently asking him if Pepper even knew ASL.

“I only know a little, not nearly as fluent as I should be,” Pepper smiled lightly.

“Here, I’ve got something for you Pete,” Tony said as he walked over to a bag sitting just next to the glass coffee table near the couches. He picked it up as he dug through it.

It contained all sorts of stuff he bought for Peter when he found the kid. Extra clothes, medicine for enhanced humans courtesy of Doctor Helen Cho (Thank god Peter didn’t seem to need it), and one very fancy, specially designed, StarkPhone with a few accessories that he knew would be useful.

He turned to see Peter watching him curiously, Tony held out two rubbery brackets to Peter as he turned on the phone.

“Slip those on your wrists and position the power button so its located underside of your wrist,” He handed Peter the phone after he set up the app he’d been setting up.

Peter seemed go wide eyed with fascination as he figured out what the devices were for.

‘Thank you’ Peter signed, the phone immediately spoke <Thank you,> barely a second later. It was less robotic like the usual text to speech apps he used and was very similar to the voice he used in the spider suit.

For a moment Tony could see the same kid he would work next to in the lab, filled with fascination and wonder, but as quick as it came, it was gone just as fast when he faced Pepper.

<It’s nice to finally meet you, Miss Potts.>

“Tony has told me a lot about you, I’m glad to meet you too.”

<What did he say?> Peter asked almost hesitantly.

“Sorry, kid. I had to tell her about you’re spider business,” Tony said with a slight hint of guilt. “But don’t worry, the only ones that know are Pep and I.”

<MJ and Ned also know> There was a small pause as Peter looked down at the floor regretfully, <and May and Mr. Thomas.>

“Who’s Mr. Thomas?” Pepper asked carefully. Tony eternally winced, he had purposely left out the mention of Thomas to Pepper, it would have only caused her to worry more than she already did, but there was no doubt that she noticed Peter’s scar so she might make assumptions from that.

<He made me fight. Throw the matches in his favor> Peter didn't make eye contact with either of them as he started to explain. <First it was enhanced animals, but after I was shipped to Russia… I had to fight other people with powers.> His breath hitched and Tony instinctively moved closer to Peter. <Then there was this little girl, they shot her because… because I didn’t do what they said.>

Pepper looked horrified as she put her hands to her mouth, her eyes shined with the beginnings of tears.

Peter’s legs seemed to give out and Tony quickly caught Peter lowering them both to the floor. Peter curled into Tony’s form as his breathing hitched unevenly.

Tony could just see that motherly instinct kick in as Pepper quickly joined them on the floor, but when she reached out to touch Peter he violently jerked away, practically throwing himself away from the two.

Pepper looked utterly heartbroken at the obvious instinctive reaction.

<I’m sorry, I’m sorry,> Peter quickly signed, he looked absolutely terrified, <I didn’t mean- I’m sorry.>

“No, no, Peter, it’s okay,” Tony could see her desperately trying to hold it together for Peter’s sake. “You don’t have to be sorry, ok?” She sniffed as she pulled her legs under herself in a more comfortable position on the floor.

“You’ve been through a lot, Pete,” Tony was about to reach a hand up to comfort Peter but it was only then that he realized the kid now had a deathgrip on his sleeve.

“How about this,” Pepper said as she slowly stood up, “Let’s get some room service? Settle in a little while I get the flight to New York ready?” She wiped her eyes quickly and put on a friendly smile for Peter.

Tony looked from Pepper back to Peter, “How’s that sounds, Pete?” He slowly started to stand and helped Peter up with him. He seemed to be avoiding eye contact with Pepper, which was understandable.

But damn was it heartbreaking.

Peter had the headlights look again as both adults looked to him, he just nodded slowly before wiping his eyes on the sleeve of his hoodie.

“We got some clothes if you want to change,” Pepper said as she walked over to the hotel phone located in the corner of the living room on a work desk.

There were a few papers scattered about it from Pepper going through paperwork while Tony was out looking for Peter.

“Feel free to use the shower, kiddo,” Tony said as he grabbed the bag he had set on the coffee table before handing it to him. “Looks like you haven’t had one in awhile,” he said in a teasing tone, he made an effort to lighten the mood from before.

Peter gave a faint smile as he shook his head, he took the bag from Tony before lightly digging through it. He was very surprised when he pulled out the graphic T Tony had grabbed from John’s apartment all those months ago.

“I thought I lost this,” Peter said quietly as he looked up at Tony.

“Found it while looking for you, I remember seeing you wear it a lot so I thought you might be attached to it,” Tony said with a small shrug.

“It was a gift from Ned,” There was a small pause as he read the pun on the shirt _‘Looking for Love in Alderaan Places.’_ Peter grinned at the Star Wars pun, before looking back at Tony with a softer smile. “Thanks, this-... this means a lot,” his voice broke slightly and Tony could hear it get more croaky.

“No problem, kid,” Tony reached over to ruffle Peter’s hair (It was already pretty messy so there wasn’t much change). Peter pulled away as he batted Tony’s hand playfully, the tense atmosphere had almost completely melted. “But after we get back, I need you to get a haircut. You can’t rock the hippie hair.”

Peter just gave a small laugh as he started walking towards the bathroom. Once the door closed Pepper had already finished ordering room service.

“Tony?” Pepper said as she walked over to him.

“Yes, dear?” Tony said as he twirled to face her.

“Now that Peter’s back you’re retiring the stealth suit soon right?”

Tony glanced down at his coat make of the suits nanoparticles, “Yeah, sure. I said I would didn’t I?” He shrugged.

_‘Absolutely not’_ He thought to himself.

She couldn’t understand how important the Stealth Prime was. The suit was revolutionary. Ross was right to fear it, in the wrong hands it could easily help topple entire governments without leaving a trace, but it was a good things they weren't in the wrong hands.

After everything was settled with Peter, Tony had a few more plans concerning the Widower.

After all Peter couldn’t properly be Spider-Man with the accords still in effect, if they ever decided to target the hero of Queens Tony himself would be required to deal with the vigilante.

That was something he couldn’t let stand, there would need to be amendments to the accords, and he doubts that would happen without the officials associated with the accords receiving an… external motivation of some sort.

“Just making sure you remembered,” Pepper said with almost a relieved sigh. “Ever since you started wearing it there’s been… this change about you, and I don’t think Peter needs to be around that with all he’s been through,” She said quietly, as if she was worried Peter might overhear her.

“Don’t worry about that,” Tony waved off, he took both her hands in his, “Everything is almost over, I know things will get better soon,” He leaned in giving her a small kiss.

* * *

 

After a really hot shower and a change into comfortable and familiar clothes, Peter felt drowsy.

It wasn’t the usual drowsiness where his body was trying to force him to sleep, but the type of drowsy you feel when you’re ready to curl up in a soft blanket with your favorite warm drink.

Peter found a brush in the bag Tony gave him, along with other toiletries like an unopened toothbrush, shampoo and conditioner he’d just used in the shower, and deodorant.

He managed to brush the rat nest that formed in his hair before using the toothbrush and deodorant.

It was so nice to feel properly clean after months of literally living in the dirt, though Maria did offer her shower a few times in thanks for making sure she got home safe, but that never felt like a proper one since it still felt like the grime was stuck to his skin after getting out.

He blamed his clothes and the fact that he spent every night sleeping outside, his hyperactive senses were no help in those situation.

But now, even they were satisfied.

He found himself looking in the mirror.

He hardly changed since the last time he actually examined himself, the only difference now was him being slightly less skinny. His ribs were still countable but the ridges of his spine didn’t stick out nearly as much.

He played with the thought that Mr. Stark was probably the only person that could _overfeed_ Peter since he was rich enough to buy that much food. The idea of actually having a little bit of fat on his stomach instead of abs was a funny thought.

Peter pulled the shirt over his head and read the pun in the mirror one last time before walking out of the bathroom.

He thought of Ned and MJ, soon they would be completely safe from May’s power. It didn’t matter if she went after them herself or if she hired thugs, none of them could get through Iron Man’s protection.

The moment he opened the bathroom door his nose was hit with the smell of food. It seems Pepper ordered an entire buffet, there were at about two carts completely full of food. Pizzas, pastas, burgers, and because they were in London, fish and chips, as well as a number of other things.

Peter’s mouth watered and his stomach growled in anticipation.

Peter had slipped on the bracelets and had the phone in his pocket. <Is this all for me?> His face the only indicator at how truly surprised he was.

“I don’t think Tony and I could even make a dent in it by ourselves,” Pepper joked.

A quick glance around showed that Mr. Stark wasn’t even in the room, Peter got a little nervous, that was until he heard the man talking on the phone in the other room.

“He’s working out how to reveal you to the public without bringing up the fact you were in Russia. So there’s no questions about your abilities and your identity as Spider-Man stays secret,” Pepper said gently. She seemed to have already grabbed a small plate with macaroni and cheese on it and was sitting on the large armrest of one of the couch.

<Do you know what’s going to happen?> Peter asked as he walked over to the carts as he hesitantly grabbed a plate. He glanced at Pepper as if asking permission.

“Help yourself, Peter. We can always order more if we run out,” She commented.

At least one plate full of food later Peter was sitting on the opposite end of the couch that Pepper sat at as he flipped through the channels of the tv. He was already on his second serving of, well, everything, and this was him technically taking it slow. He was completely aware that overeating after an extended period of time practically starving was a very bad idea, but he didn’t feel sick yet so that was probably a good sign.

He was definitely taking smaller bites now that he was starting to get full, but he had a feeling that once his spidey metabolism kicked in, he’d start the cycle over again.

Peter eventually landed on the Disney Channel, he stopped paying attention to it and was currently just using it as background noise as he started examining the new phone Mr. Stark just gave him.

It was black, a sleek design with gold trim around the edge, but he was afraid to ask if it was real gold. If anything it was probably just gold plating, since StarkPhones have always been advertised as _‘HeroProof™’_ even without a case, the lining was most definitely a substance much stronger than gold.

While gold was an awesome conductor, it was not a very strong metal

But that still didn’t explain how light the phone felt, unless…

No way.

He couldn’t have.

Peter stood up, walking over to the middle of the room before going over to the tiled floor of the small kitchen. He lifted the phone above his head before dropping it, making sure it hit the corner of the phone as it hit the ground.

Sure enough, it produced a familiar ring that he’d only ever heard in Captain America's shield.

Of course he did.

Tony Stark put vibranium in the phone case. He probably remembered the horrendous state Peter’s last phone was in, guess he wanted to make sure Peter couldn’t break this one.

“Peter everything alright?” Pepper asked, she looked amused by Peter’s actions.

Peter just scooped up the undamaged phone before walking back over to the couch.

<Mr. Stark, put Vibranium in the phone case> Peter was grinning at the fact, he looked at the casing of the phone clostly. “That’s so cool,” Peter whispered.

“I’m glad you like it,” Mr. Stark said as he walked in from the other room. He had just hung up his own phone and was slipping it into his pocket. “Hope you don’t mind but I may, or may not, have stolen your old phone from your apartment. All your contacts, pictures, music, and such were transferred to the new one. I _did_ have to digitally sanitize them to get the the iPhone code off,” He pretended to make a disgusted shiver as he sat down next to Peter. “A nightmare you were using that thing in the first place.”

Peter just laughed as he leaned slightly against Mr. Stark. He couldn’t help but have some kind of contact with the genius, it was the only thing that convinced him this was all _actually_ happening.

Of course since the man really was a genius, he probably picked up on that, hence why he slung his arm over the couch behind Peter, causing Peter to naturally nestle closer.

Peter was still looking at the phone, he hadn’t actually explored the interface much.

Peter was quickly reminded that Tony Stark never knew when to stop when designing tech. The thing had an instant eye scanner, Peter practically just had to look at the phone to get it unlocked, and he doubted that anyone else could even hack the thing if they wanted.

The home screen probably had pixel measurements out the wazoo, because even when he held the thing close to his face he still couldn’t discern the different pixels.

“Completely customizable, like literally everything,” Tony said as Peter spun the globe that was on the home screen, it held all the different apps, all Peter had to do was rotate it to see a different selection of apps. The movement was fluid and it even jostled slightly with movement to the phone, “The only catch is you got to code the stuff yourself, but I have no doubt you can handle that,” Tony said ruffling Peter’s slightly damp hair.

<Sounds fun,> Peter signed, he set the phone down as he leaned over to the coffee table to grab the plate he was still working on. He started eating again.

The three of them ended up watching the live action release of _Beauty and the Beast._ Peter had actually been looking forward to seeing it, and was really enjoy the CGI and effects.

After awhile of eating on and off and everyone quietly relaxing into the atmosphere with recreated classic playing, Peter finally spoke up during one of the brakes.

“So.. wh-what’s going to happen now?” Peter whispered.

“Remember Lieutenant Anderson and his partner?” Tony asked glancing down at Peter. At some point Pepper had positioned herself so she was snuggling against Tony on the other side of the couch.

Peter nodded slowly, he mentally winced at the thought of almost getting Detective Octen killed during his time as Nor.

“They were helping me look for you before your name was released, they’re also trying to find all they can about May, but they agreed to stage your finding. In about…” He glanced at the time, “Ten minutes, we should get a call reporting that your whereabouts have been discovered. It’s um…” Tony sighed. “You’re not going to like this next part Peter, I’m sorry but it’s the only way we can explain your scars.”

Peter pulled away slightly so he could look at Tony better, <What is it?>

“I found out about the cage fights Mr. Thomas had in New York, the place is still running so if we have you sneak in there, the police will bust the place and Anderson and his partner will be the one to find you,” Tony watched him carefully and shifted so his hand was resting on Peter’s shoulder, he could feel the kid tense up slightly. “Peter I promise if there was any other way we’d be doing it, but this is the only option that will produce the least amount of questions.”

Peter took in a shaky breath as he leaned into Mr. Stark again, “Ok, I can do that.”

“We’re going to have a hell of a day ahead of us,” Pepper sighed.

“You got that right,” Tony said with a dry laugh.

“But we’ll be doing it together, okay Peter?” Pepper said softly as she leaned forward to look at the teen.

Peter nodded with a faint smile.

He liked the sound of that.

_Together._

* * *

 

It was easy to get Peter on the private jet in the middle of the night, most people were too drowsy to notice. All they saw were two people getting on the aircraft.

FRIDAY made sure to cover the cameras, and Tony snuck on using the stealth suit. He had earlier explained to Pepper that he would be using it to keep an eye on Peter all throughout his ‘rescue.’

Peter heard her grumble about it being the last time he used it. There was a sharp glare in Mr. Stark’s eyes at the comment, but it was gone as quick as it came. Peter decided not to think much on it now, especially since he felt like he was going into a food coma from everything he ate.

Luckily the trip from London to New York was at least six hours, even in a top of the line private jet.

There were no complaints from Peter.

He had been in the jet before and was in no way less excited about it, he just thought that those six hours could definitely be spent sleeping. Pepper seemed to have the same idea, she showed him how both of the couches in the plane folded out into comfy beds.

Before leaving the hotel room she had changed from the professional skirt and heels into fluffy pajama pants. It was an odd look on her since he’d only ever seen her as the peak of professionalism, but he’ll admit, seeing her in more casual wear helped him feel less intimidated by her.

Peter was quick to crash on the couch bed, he didn’t remember most of the flight because of the pleasant half sleep he found himself in. It was the type of sleep where your listening to the gentle lulls of quiet voices in the vehicle around you, one where you don’t completely dip into unconsciousness but still have pleasant thoughts projected into half formed dreams. Time dragged on, but moved quickly at the same time.

So when a gentle hand rested on Peter’s shoulder to wake him, Peter didn’t want to stur.

“Come on, Petey. We’re landing soon, the detectives are waiting for us,” Mr. Stark said gently.

Peter let out a long breath before slowly sitting up, he stretched his arms and Mr. Stark sat in the now open spot made available by Peter’s shift. He wrapped an arm over Peter’s shoulder and the teen leaned into his side.

“Sleep well?” Mr. Stark asked amused by Peter’s grogginess. The kid opened his eyes wide as he tried blinking the sleep away.

“Five minutes,” Peter murmured as he leaned his head on Tony’s shoulder. His voice was barely a croak and Tony made a note to definitely get Peter into some kind of vocal therapy once it was all over.

“I already gave you an extra five, you’ll need to be awake when we land,” Tony said with a small chuckle.

“Fffffffine,” Peter sighed as he sat up on his own. He absently rubbed the scar on his cheek before stretching his arms again.

He soon looked around and reached for the phone that had fallen to the floor some time during the flight, he handed it back to Mr. Stark.

“Keep it kid, you’re going straight from the warehouse to our flat. No one will see you up close other then the Lieutenant and Detective.

Peter nodded slowly, <what about after everything?>

Tony glanced up at Pepper who had just walked out of the bathroom, she was in her business clothes again but he wasn’t nearly as intimidated by her now. Mostly because his spidey sense was calm and just being in the proximity of Mr. Stark was comforting. Especially after the months of being on high alert.

“Well…” Pepper began, “we were wondering if you’d like to come live with us.”

Peter went wide eyed.

“We currently have a place in Manhattan on Park Avenue, but we’ve been waiting on renovations for a building we bought in Queens. Two floors, one for livings of course but the other is nothin’ but workshops space.”

“R-Really?” Peter asked quietly, his tone in complete disbelief.

“Of course, kiddo,” Tony paused for a moment as he looked over at Pepper, “Us getting married is the start of our little family, and we want you to be in it.”

Peter was completely speechless, the feeling of someone, let alone _two_ people, actually wanting him in their family.

Peter had no control of himself as he jumped up from the couch suddenly hugging them both.

“Thank you, god thank you, so much,” Peter said practically sobbing into Tony’s chest as the two hugged him tightly in return.

* * *

 

Everything was set and ready, Peter had snuck into the warehouse with Tony in the stealth suit. He assured the teen he was going to be right next to him the whole time.

If Peter had been returning to the place under any other circumstances, he would have been completely on edge, but with the thought of Mr. Stark there to support him was comforting. So much so there wasn’t even a warning from his spidey sense.

Peter noticed the faintest shimmer of light out of the corner of his eye as Mr. Stark hid in plain sight. The suit’s stealth was honestly incredible, but nothing was completely perfect after all, if you knew where to look, especially in a well lit room, you could see the slight shift of light like a mirage.

Peter found himself prying open one the the cages quietly only to bend the bars back in place, he could hear the other animals in the room shift as they sensed their presence.

All Peter had to do now was wait, he listened closely as he sat down in the middle of the cage, despite the shower and change of clothes he still looked a little worse for wear.

It was only a few minutes until he heard the police bust down the door on the far side of the building. There were rushed footsteps and police yelling as they stormed through the rooms one by one.

Footsteps ran down the row he waiting in, Peter quickly got up as he looked out the bars, he shook them lightly getting whoever’s attention. “Lieutenant! He’s here!” The familiar detective yelled.

He managed to break the lock on the cage door before letting Peter out, he still held his distance from the Detective before he felt an invisible arm nudge him towards the man.

Right, he was supposed to follow the Detective or Lieutenant out.

“It’s alright Peter,” Octen said kindly, “This part will be quick, we just need to get you out of here, then you’re heading straight to Stark’s.”

Anderson jogged up to them, he seems strangely relieved to see Peter, “Come on, kid,” He sighed taking his large jacket off and placing it over Peter’s shoulders.

The oversized coat easily covered the clothes that were obviously too nice to be owned by a boy who was trapped in a cage for months. Peter wondered if he should have kept the clothes Mr. Thomas left him, they would have definitely been good for cover.

Peter grabbed the inside of the coat as he pulled it around him like a blanket, he didn’t bother putting his hands through the arms.

Now, he needed to act shocked, that wasn’t too terribly difficult to do. He took a deep breath as he huddled into the coat, Anderson put an arm around Peter’s shoulder as he lead the teen out of the cursed warehouse.

Octen pulled out a walkitaki, “We found Peter Parker, I repeat, we found Peter Parker. Lieutenant Anderson is taking him out to the front.”

The rest happened quicker then he expected, even though he wasn’t actually in shock, the events made his head spin.

* * *

 

**_‘Breaking News_ ** _!’ Flashed red across the screen. A man and woman sat at the desk with papers in hands and serious expressions. The woman spoke first._

_“This morning around nine, police given an anonymous tip about an illegal fighting ring in the western harbor of Queens. Officers on scene were shocked to find Peter Parker imprisoned in the warehouse along with numerous mechanically and genetically modified animals._

_Mr. Parkers unusual case was brought to light after his identity was revealed as a notorious drug runner named Nor. His association with Tony Stark through a junior internship brought questions into light that eventually revealed May Parker as the instigator behind the teens forced connection with the Brooklyn mob._

_In the warehouse it was already believed that the animals were forced to fight each other while audience placed bets, but this video here:’_

_A square in the corner of the screen was enlarged, it showed Peter Parker stepping into an ambulance with a large coat placed around his shoulder. His hair was a mess and he looked skinnier than the picture just right of the screen that showed that last known image of Peter from his school picture day. His hair much longer in comparison and the scars clearly visible._

_“Suggests Peter Parker was also forced into the arena along with the mistreated animals. It is unclear how long Mr. Parker was held captive, but with his last appearance as Nor being in December of last year, it could be anywhere up to seven months. A statement has not been released on the matter yet.”_

_The pictures disappeared from the screen showing the well lit studio before the man spoke._

_“Tony Stark was seen rushing to the police station and presumably leaving with Peter Parker, it has been reported that Peter has been refusing to talk to anyone other than Mr. Stark. Further updates on the story will be released tonight at 8.”_

The tv flicked off as Peter hit the power button on the controls.

His face was everywhere, on every news channel, all around the country.

He really wasn’t a fan of it, and he didn’t realize how big the story got while he was gone.

“Pepper says they’re on their way up,” Tony said as he walked into the large living room with a cup of coffee. They were at the apartment on Park Avenue, private security were working double time to keep out the media vultures.

The thought reminded him of his unfinished business in the city. He was definitely eager to get back to work as Spider-man once everything settled down.

Suddenly the elevator doors opened to reveal a worried looking Ned and MJ, with Pepper standing behind them.

“Peter!” They both yelled.

MJ was the first to move, she practically bolted out of the elevator as she nearly tackled him with a hug. Ned immediately followed.

“Peter, don’t you ever fucking do that again, I’m going to murder you if you ever do,” MJ said trying to act tough as tears obviously streamed down her face.

Peter let out a small laugh as he pulled each of them closer.

Not only was Peter safe now, but more importantly, so were his friends. The shear relief that May could no longer hold their lives over his head was overwhelming.

“God, please don’t do that again, dude. I wasn’t sure if we’d see you again,” Ned choked out.

“You know, you still owe me a stupid explanation,” MJ said as she halfheartedly punched Peter’s shoulder as she pulled away to rub the tears off her face.

Peter could stop another small laugh from escaping, “I know.”

Both of Peter’s friends looked at him wide eyed.

“Peter you can talk!?” Yelled Ned.

MJ was just laughing in disbelief, but there was anger in her eyes, “She made you stay quiet didn’t she,” MJ was suddenly hugging him again.

“Yeah… I’m sorry, there so much I wanted to tell you… That I need to tell you,” He whispered. “That’s… That’s why I called you here,” Peter lightly tightened his grip on both his friends. “I’m so tired of the lies and secrets, I need to tell you everything,” He started sniffing, “God, there’s so much I need to say.”

“Just tell us, Peter,” Ned whispered.

“You know we’ve been listening, we’ve always been willing to listen,” MJ whimpered. It was strange seeing her so vulnerable and open, compared to the usual calm and collected persona she held.

Peter swallowed, he needed to tell them everything. Not just Ned and MJ, but he wanted Pepper and Mr. Stark to hear it to.

Like he admitted before, he was tired of all the toxic lies and secrets he’d been forced to hold over the years all because of Aunt May. Currently it was the only thing keeping him completely free of her, but not anymore.

“It started with the fire,” Peter began.

The story continued as he explained the events of that evening.

He told then how he watched May approach his Uncle Ben from behind then strangled him with some kind of thin wire. The man struggle but it was to late, they ended up knocking the candles of the newly lit birthday cake onto the window curtains. Peter watched in fear as the flames grew out of control and Ben’s last breath was one filled with smoke.

He told them how May stood in the doorway with her threats and promises, how he had to follow one rule to leave alive.

He told them about the closet, the cold showers, the harsh words, and ridiculous standard he had to constantly keep. Otherwise it would lead to only more troubles.

Peter told on and on and on, eventually leading to the most recent events.

The worst of them all.

The drug running, the fights… the little girl.

He told them _everything._

No more lies, no more secrets, just the solid heartbreaking truth.

It was barely a third of the way through when his weak voice gave out and he reverted to sign that was translated with the wristbands and phone Tony gave him.

By the end of it all he was sobbing into the shoulders of his friends, they could barely believed the horrors they heard, but they accepted every word as truth anyways.

At some point everyone moved into the living room.

Peter sat in the middle of Ned and MJ while Tony and Pepper sat on the coffee table directly in front of them.

It took nearly three hours to finish.

Despite feeling completely and utterly exhausted, he never felt lighter. The weight of the world was eased off his chest and willingly shouldered by the friends and soon to be new family that surrounded him.

In those hours walls were broken.

Even as his friends left to go home, MJ had a new appreciation for Tony after seeing him shed a few tears for Peter.

Everything was a blur after that, mental exhaustion took hold and Peter was soon passed out.

But even if he couldn’t clearly remember the few moments after, he would never forget those three hours for the rest of his life.

Something inside him broke that day, just like on the day of the fire. It was just as painful and excruciating, but sometimes you had to re-break bones if you ever wanted to give them a chance to heal properly.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Oh god, I'm gonna be honest, this one almost made me cry when I wrote it. Also I just want to say I was really really proud of that last line.


	25. Chapter 25

Peter had never slept so much in one day before, but to be fair, it was an emotionally and physically exhausting day. He was just thankful that he was too tired in both areas to properly dream. Just flashes of memories and incomplete thoughts, if anything stirred him awake, he was always reassured by the presence of Mr. Stark or Pepper, sometimes both, on the couch next to him.

When he did finally wake up, he was surprised that he didn’t sleep that long, just a few hours really.

His head felt groggy, but that was ok, he didn’t have to force himself into alertness like he usually did.

His change in breathing alerted Pepper, who was sitting on the far side of the couch with her legs curled under her as she tapped away on a StarkPad.

“Have a good nap, Peter?” She glanced up at him from the tablet, it was easy to notice the slight puffiness under her eyes, he no doubt had the same problem unless his spider abilities kicked in and he recovered quicker.

Peter nodded slowly, <Where’s Mr. Stark?>

He looked around trying to find his phone, the slightly muffled translation was coming from the couch cushion, he found the phone pretty quick after that.

“He’s talking with the judge that will be looking over your case, he’s getting proper custody of you so we don’t have to worry about any legal issues later. After your trial we’ll be able to officially start the adoption process.”

<Trial?> He asked nervously, it didn’t come across in the artificial voice since it didn’t have the same sensors as the suit but it was easily seen on his face.

“Unfortunately,” She sighed “but we’re working out a deal with the police, so there shouldn’t be any repercussions for your time as a courier.”

Peter was sitting up now and had shifted slightly closer to Pepper, <What will I need to do?>

“Information, just whens, wheres, hows, probably a few whos in the process,” Tony said as he walked through the elevator door. “You’re talking about the deal right?”

“Yup, just gave him the basics,” She said with a smile, she got up to greet Mr. Stark with a kiss. “How’d talking with the judge go… you behaved right?” She asked almost scornfully.

“Of course I did, I wouldn’t purposely screw something as important as this up,” The man rolled his eyes, “They’ve agreed to let us keep you, mostly, but she wants to talk to you first, see how you feel about the arrangement.”

“When do I have to go?” Peter asked quietly.

“Sometime today would be best, but she understands if you want to wait till tomorrow,” Mr. Stark walked over to Peter who was still sitting on the couch, he knelt down in front of him. “Really it's up to you, so don’t feel pressured about doing it today,” Tony said casually, but there was still sincerity behind his words.

“I can do it today,” Peter said absently running his hand over his scar before looking up and giving a confident nod.

“Excellent!” Tony said as he quickly stood up. “Just tell me when you’re ready and I’ll have Happy take us over.”

Peter nodded as he got up, he noticed he was already hungry again, but decided not to say anything about it. He’ll just eat when they have dinner later.

After a quick shower, (because Peter was going to take full advantage of having access to running water, _especially_ since that running water was coming from a luxurious shower with a freaking waterfall mode) they made their way down to the ground floor and out a back entrance into an alleyway where Happy was waiting with the car.

“Good to see you back, kid,” Happy said as he looked through the rear view mirror to see Peter. The man held his usual stoic and intimidating composure but there was a softness in his eyes that Peter didn’t remember seeing before.

<It’s good to be back,> Peter signed. He gave Happy a small smile as he settled on the other side of the car. Mr. Stark got in before he closed the door and the vehicle immediately pulled forward.

Peter looked out the tinted windows and watched as they rolled onto the street. A mass of reporters and paparazzi crowded the front of the building, and were being held back by a impressive number of men in black suits and tinted sunglasses allowing the car to roll past without any problems.

“Heading to the courthouse, boss?” Happy asked as they got onto the road.

“Yeah, but cheese burgers first, I don’t think either of us have had lunch yet. What do you say, kiddo? Where to?” Tony said looking over the sunglasses he slipped on as he glanced at Peter.

Peter looked between both men wide eyed, the last thing he expected was to be the one to pick the place. He panicked thinking he needed to pick something fast so he signed the first thing that popped in his head.

<Chick-fil-A>

“I guess I could go for chicken to,” Tony said with a faint chuckle.

Peter swallowed nervously, he winced as he turned away from Mr. Stark. His elbow rested on the door as he absently rubbed his knuckles against the uneven skin of his scar.

_Right, he wanted burgers. Should have said McDonald's, or literally anything else. Stupid, stupid-_

“Hey, Pete?”

Peter turned back to face Mr. Stark.

“Remember that project with the old computer parts and that Skyrim game?”

It took Peter a moment longer than it should have to remember what he was talking about, those times in the lab felt like years ago, but he quickly nodded when he did.

“Did you still want to do that? Everything’s boxed but I can have it sent to the new workshop if you’re still interested,” Mr. Stark looked up from his phone awaiting Peter’s answer.

Peter was really looking forward to the project. If Mr. Stark was offering then it probably wasn’t too much trouble to resume it.

<That would be awesome> Peter nodded as he managed a smile, he almost forgot his fumble in choosing the restaurant until they were there. He watched Mr. Stark out of the corner of his eye as they parked, he wasn’t sure if they were getting out or not.

But after a minute of no one moving, Peter glanced around nervously.

“Just waitin’ for the food, someone should be bringing it out annny minute now,” Mr. Stark said casually, but Peter caught the man glancing over at him with what might have been a slightly worried look.

Peter made gave an ‘ah’ expression before looking back out his window at the streets. People were walking along the sidewalks going about their day, his eyes trailed further up at the buildings that towered over head. He itched to get a new set of webshooters, he couldn’t wait to finally swing through the city again.

Peter noticed the faint knock on the window at the other side of the car and his head immediately looked towards it. His mind automatically assessed the potential threat, it was only just a Chick-fil-A employee. His tense body immediately relaxed.

Happy rolled down the front passenger window and the server leaned into view.

“Parker?!” Said a _very_ surprised Flash Thompson.

This was literally the last place Peter expected Flash to work so he was just as equally surprised. He gave a small wave like it was the most normal thing in the world.

“Weren't you that kid that stole Peter’s phone?” Mr. Stark asked suspiciously he leaned forward slightly to get a better view of Flash.

Peter could see Flash’s Adam's apple bob as he swallowed nervously, his face drained of color.

“Um, I-”

<It’s fine, I let him grab it.> Peter signed. <He was kinda doubting that I knew you… as well as the rest of the class, but we’re cool now right, Flash?> Peter asked with innocent eyes.

“Y-yeah,” Flash cleared his throat then in a more composed voice continued, “Yeah, of course we are.”

Mr. Stark looked at Peter with a raised eyebrow and Flash was obviously a little confused by Peter’s response, but didn’t voice anything on it.

After a small awkward moment of silence, Mr. Stark ordered Flash to put the four bags of food he was carrying in the front seat.

Flash rushed back inside only to quickly return with a drink carrier. He handed it to Happy before disappearing back into the restaurant for good.

“Though you might be pretty hungry so I ordered… well, the menu,” Mr. Stark said as he took one of the drinks from happy. He handed a bag of food to Peter in almost the same movement. “We’ll need to figure out what kind of calorie intake you need, not a fan of shoving food your way without a number. Who knows if you’re even getting what you need,” The man started typing something on his phone as he sipped from his drink.

The next stop was the courthouse, Peter ate through the bag he was given only to be handed another. He almost wanted to pretend he didn’t need anymore, he definitely would have before, but since he faced starvation more then once he had a new appreciation for any food that was willingly offered to him.

When they got there the grogginess from his nap was completely faded and the food gave him a bouncing energy, or maybe it was the fact he was nervous. He wasn’t sure what the Judge was even going to ask him.

Front of the courthouse was mostly clear, but the moment a handful of reporters spotted them they were swarmed by a number of others that seem to appear from nowhere.

Peter was immediately on edge, he glanced anywhere and everywhere for threats in the crowd. Happy did his best to hold them back, but it seemed even he and his team underestimated how much press would be there.

Microphones were shoved in his face.

_“Mr. Parker! What kind of deliveries did you do as a courier? Was it just drugs or other items?”_

_“Peter! What kind of animals were you forced to face? Which one gave you the scar?”_

It felt like thousands of questions were asked at once, each and every one of the picked up by his hearing and amplified as the reporters yelled over each other.

_Peter, where were you?_

_Peter, tell us what happened?_

_Where did the scar come from?_

_Tell us about the scar, Parker!_

_Peter!-_

Suddenly the world went completely silent, it was disorienting but at the same time a pleasant relief.

Without the voices of every reporter ringing through his head, he realized a set of headphones were placed oher his ears. They seemed to have completely blocked out all sound, this only made him realize how heavy he was breathing.

Tony had his hands on both of Peter’s shoulders as he guided Peter up the steps through the crowd of reporters.

“We’re almost there, kid, don’t worry,” Tony’s voice broke the silence, whatever he was using to speak into the noise canceling headphones didn’t seem to allow other outside audio in.

Without the bombardment of audio input Peter was better able to handle the crowd around him.

Once the doors of the courthouse were clothes Peter slowly removed the headphones, almost afraid the reporters questions followed him.

“You alright?” Tony asked, one hand was still on Peter’s shoulder as he looked down at him concerned.

Peter nodded slowly as he steadied his breath, <I didn’t like that> he admitted.

“That one’s my fault. I should have had Happy bring more guys,” He lightly patted his back.

<What are these?> Peter asked looking down at the headphones. They were sleek and black, but were kinda clunky with that prototype feel to them.

“You said you’re senses could be overwhelming, thought you might want them for when the press caught us as we left. Should have expected they were camping out front. I’m already working on getting them smaller but those are the only functional ones.”

<Still, they’re pretty cool. How could I only hear you before?>

“I got a mic of sorts on my tie, it feels the vibrations of my vocal cords, digitally recreates my voice using a pre recording I made as a baceline, then projects that into your headphone speaker. It’s a more complicated process than a traditional background audio filter but it completely eliminates background noise as well as give a clear recreation of the voice.”

Peter had calmed down considerably during the short explanation of the microphone he was using. Mr. Stark seemed to notice.

“Want me to explain the design of the headphones before we meet the Judge?” He grinned.

Peter nodded quickly, despite having calmed down some, he was in no way ready to face the Judge after the encounter with the reporters.

Mr. Stark gladly complied as they both walked over to a set of chairs.

Once long and amusing explanation later, Peter had recovered from the overwhelming reporters.

Tony glanced at the time, “I think we’ve let the judge wait long enough, what do you say, Petey?” He asked as he stood up.

Peter nodded as he followed.

They went up a set of white marble stairs before turning into a hallway that was decorated with paintings of different founding fathers and a few more recent government officials.

Tony stopped at a set of wooden doors, he opened one for Peter who cautiously walked into the new environments of the Judge’s office.

The room was necessarily huge but it wasn’t small ether, with a large wooden desk at the far side and books lining the built in bookcases, the place felt very official.

“Ah, Mr. Parker,” A woman in black rob sat at the desk. She smiled kindly at him as she pushed a strand of wavy brown hair behind her ear. She stood up to greet him. “If I’m being honest I wasn’t expecting you till tomorrow. You must have already had a busy day.” She gave a wary glance towards Mr. Stark.

<I just want to get everything over with.> Peter signed

“Well, since you’re here we might as well get started. It shouldn’t take to long, all the details and paperwork are finished for the temporary custody, I just need to make my final decision. Peter if you’ll take a seat?” She motioned to one of the chairs in front of her desk. “Mr. Stark if you could wait outside?”

Peter suddenly froze as he looked almost panicked, he suddenly grabbed the sleeve of Mr. Stark’s coat.

That was last thing he wanted, he’d barely been been found more then a day he didn’t want to be lost again. Despite how irrational it was, he couldn’t shake the feeling that something might happen.

“I’ll be right behind the door, I’m not going anywhere,” he reassured.

Peter clenched his jaw as he looked back at the Judge, he slowly let go of Tony’s sleeve as he swallowed nervously.

“Ten, probably fifteen minutes tops. It shouldn’t take too long, right Judge Price?”

“Of course,” She replied.

Peter slowly nodded as he took a cautious step away from Mr. Stark. He slowly saw down in one of the chairs then watched as the man disappeared behind the wooden door.

He bounced his leg nervously as he stayed on high alert.

A beat passed before the Judge spoke again.

“I’m going to ask you a few questions if that’s ok, Peter?”

Peter nodded.

“Do you feel safe when you’re with Tony Stark?” There was no judgment in her tone, she was obviously looking for an honest answer.

He nodded.

“Do you feel like he and Ms. Potts can give you the emotional support you’ll need?”

Peter slowly nodded. He wasn’t sure why she was asking these thing, they all seemed obvious.

“Do you want to be adopted by Mr. Stark?”

There was no question about that one. Pepper and Mr. Stark had showed him more kindness in the past twelve hours then May had in his entire life. Even if he’s seeing through rose colored glasses nothing could be as bad as the past ten years.

Peter nodded quickly.

The Judge gave a small smile. Her searching eye seemed to have found what she was looking for in his own eyes.

She shuffled through papers on her desk before pulling out a thin paket. “To finish the process paperwise, I’ll need you to sign these.”

Peter took the paper then grabbed a pen on the side of the desk as he signed where directed. Some of them already had Mr. Stark’s signature just above where he put his own.

She took the papers back as she looked at the information making sure it was all in order. “Your birthday is August 10 correct?” She asked

Peter just nodded with a puzzled expression.

The Judge gave a bright smile, “Happy Birthday then, I hope you have a good day tomorrow.”

Peter just gave a nod of thanks as he stood to leave.

Was it really his birthday tomorrow?

Pulling out his phone and checking the date, he was surprised to see it was true.

He was turning 16 tomorrow.

It was also the anniversary of Ben’s death.

His birthday had been something he previously avoided. Ned and Mj knew not to make a big deal about it, but until just a few hours ago they didn’t know why.

They would still give him small gestures, one year he found a cupcake in his locker and another there was a few Star Wars PEZ dispensers hidden in his backpack. He ended up giving them to Ned for safekeeping, since the things were collectibles they remained in the package and he didn’t want May seeing them since she would have opened them just for the candy then would throw the dispenser away.

Maybe now that he was going to be staying with Mr. Stark, he could ask for those back. Thinking back there was actually quite a few things of his Ned and MJ had that he was previously too worried to keep in his room for fear of May destroying them.

Guess there was a lot of things that would change in his life because Mr. Stark was adopting him, but signing the papers didn’t make him feel much different.

He was probably to emotionally fried to feel much at the moment, today was such a tiring day.

Stepping out of the office Peter spotted Tony waiting in a set of chairs further down the hall. His head shot up the moment the door opened.

“How’d it go, kiddo?” He asked as he slipped his phone in his pocket and approached Peter.

<Guess it’ll be official soon> Peter signed.

“Maybe we can get the adoption processed before the trials, usually not a thing that would happen but I bet there are a few strings I can pull.”

<Thanks>

“Anything for you, kid,” He gave Peter a light pat on the back, “Now, time to get those headphones on, the crowd outside’s only gotten worse.” The man then handed Peter a pair of sunglasses, “And you might want these, it helps with the camera flashes.”

Peter nodded as he took the glasses slipping them on, they were heavily tinted for enhanced human standards.

Mr. Stark seemed to have thought of everything. It was odd having someone else consider his well being, but Peter wouldn’t mind getting used to it.

The moment they got back to the penthouse, his exhaustion was obvious. Despite already having slept so much none of it was in an actual bed, though he doubted that was the only reason he was still tied.

Pepper had set up the guest bedroom for him while he and Mr. Stark were out. It was still technically an odd hour to get some sleep, but Peter hardly found himself caring.

Tony mentioned something about jet lag as Peter fell into the bed sheets after kicking off his shoes. He didn’t bother changing his clothes, he didn’t even notice the slight discomfort from wearing jeans to bed. It was nothing compared to the horrible sleeping conditions he had those past months.

It was easy to sink into the soft mattress and sheets with a ridiculous thread counts. The weight of the heavy blanket was a comforting reminder that he wasn’t lying on some rooftop or hanging in a cage.

Things were finally getting better, he felt like he didn’t have to worry about May anymore.

_But he should have._

* * *

 

All his life he learned to never underestimate his Aunt May, the past year should have only solidified that.

Unfortunately he was too caught up in his the feeling of being found the remember that.

Now his spidey sense screamed at him a warning he’d only ever felt once before.

_Friend in danger._

But this time it wasn’t Ned, it wasn’t even MJ, the bitch somehow got a hold of Tony.

**How the hell was that even possible??**

As Peter traversed through streets, rooftops, and everything in between as he followed the directions FRIDAY was giving him through his phone. He couldn't help but wonder where it all went wrong. He thought back to earlier that day when he first woke up.

_When his eyes opened couldn’t tell if the sleep was dreamless or if he forgot them minutes after waking. Either way the lack of usual aches he got from sleeping in unnatural places was the first thing he noticed._

_The second being the realization he was still in Mr. Stark’s penthouse._

_He was still having a hard time believing it._

_Getting up slowly, he still took a cautious approach to the bedroom door and out to the living room. It wasn’t that he distrusted the place, but it was a habit he developed, one he probably wouldn’t shake for the rest of his life._

_Gentle noises of silverware clinking and the lowered voices of the newscast rang were heard through the room._

_ <Yesterday afternoon, Tony Stark and Peter Parker were seen entering and exiting the courthouse. It had been confirmed that the man has obtained legal custody of the teen and an adoption process is underway. Further reports on what officially happened to the soon named Peter Stark is still unknown, but it’s very likely we will get more of the story during the upcoming trials.> _

_Peter frowned at the TV as he watched his name go from Peter Parker to Peter Stark. It make him even feel less connected to May who stole the last name from Ben._

_It wasn’t that he didn’t want to wear the name as his own, it almost felt like he didn’t deserve it. He hoped maybe later in life he could do something with the Parker name, something that cold scrub the corruption May brought to it._

_His dead parents and uncle deserved that much._

_His frown turned into a smirk at a realization._

_May didn’t have anymore threats she could hold against him._

_He told the truth, the Lieutenant and Detective were already looking into the old cases relating to May. She was on the run and Peter and his friends were protected by Tony Stark._

There was his first mistake. He grew to confident in the cowering behind Iron Man he forgot to be Spider-Man.

But it all still didn’t make sense, Tony should have known better. He was a genius after all. When did he get so reckless? It was like his mind was fogged by something.

… but maybe it was.

Peter had noticed he was acting a bit off that morning.

_“Good morning Peter,” Pepper said from behind him._

_Peter’s instinct reaction was to quickly turn to facing the potential attacker despite his spidey sense not giving a warning. It was a conditioned reaction Peter would have to work on._

_Peter gave her a friendly smile before he spotted Mr. Stark in the kitchen hovering by the coffee maker. A glance at the digital clock on the hanging microwave showed it to be eleven o’clock._

_“Slept pretty late there didn’t ya?” The man sounded groggy as he took a large gulp from his coffee mug._

_“And you didn’t sleep enough,” Pepper scowled him gently._

_He scoffed at her as he practically snarled “Like I have to listen to you” into his mug._

_Pepper looked at him conflicted, obviously wanting to say something in response but decided to be silent. This was most likely due to Peter’s presences._

Peter couldn’t help but think his words were harsh, but at the time he thought it was due to the all nighter he pulled for one reason or another. He had never seen the man in the mornings before and wasn’t accustomed to his usual behavior.

He should have known better. Especially from how Pepper reacted.

_Pepper directed her attention back at Peter, “Also we both wanted to give you a Happy Birthday.”_

It was the mention of his birthday that distracted him from seeing the problem in the moment.

Despite the efforts he made to ignore his birthday over the years, the hope of his new life with Pepper and Tony were enough to replace the bad memories that were attached to the day.

_“Technically my birthday gift to you were the translators and phone, so, you know, happy birthday,” Mr. Stark half smiled as he set his cup down._

_ <Thank you, Mr. Stark> _

_The man started to walk past him but paused at the mention of his name, “Also, enough with the Mr. Stark thing. I might go crazy if I have to live with that,” He joked, “You can call me Tony.”_

_Mr. St- Tony ruffled Peter’s hair before heading towards the elevator. Peter caught a glimpse of something shifting under Tony’s sleeve. It gave him an uneasy feeling._

Hadn’t known if it was his spidey sense or just paranoia but he should have trusted the faint pinpricks of warning on the back of his neck. Something was definitely up with Tony.

“Friday! I need to know if you think Tony’s been acting strange lately,” Peter’s voice was still hoarse from the day before, but he couldn’t care much about that now.

There was a short silence from the AI.

<There have been slight alterations in his usual characteristics.> She seemed almost hesitant to reveal that fact.

“Do you know what caused them?” He asked quickly.

He could hear sirens off in the distance as smoke bellowed into the air a few blocks away. Peter’s heart sank at the fact that it was in the same direction FRIDAY was leading him.

_God, he hoped he wasn’t to late._

<His brain has been showing increased levels of serotonin as well as abnormal activities in his amygdala. Both issues seemingly connected to the neural interface prototype he uses to control the Mark 51.>

Peter frowned. Tony would have known full well that there would have been a issue in the interface when he created it, he had publicly stated many times that he knew anything and everything about his tech. Even if that might have been an exaggeration, the man would never risk his own mind like that.

“That was the suit he found me with, right?”

<Correct>

“Why did he use an interface like that if it was still in the prototype stage?” None of what FRIDAY was saying added up.

<It was the only thing he could find on short notice.>

“What do you mean fi-nd!” His voice broke painfully as he turned to the corner leading directly to the burning building.

<Boss borrowed the design from Dr Otto Octavius>

“Why would he ever-” Peter’s words got caught in his throat as he looked up at the burning building in front of him. It took him a moment to realize exactly where he was and even less time for old memories to flood his head.

<He wanted to start searching for you as soon as he could, he created the suit so not to be recognized by the public. The interface was needed but to cut time he borrowed the technology>

Peter felt a strange sense of guilt followed with the fear the building in front of him caused.

He decided to push it aside.

He swallowed his fear as he rushed through the entrance door of Ben and May’s first apartment building. He had the feeling he’d find what he was looking for on the ninth floor.

In the apartment he never wanted to step foot in again.

* * *

 

It was only now that Tony was feeling his regrets.

He should have listened to FRIDAY and Pepper as they warned him of the suit, but instead he would mute the AI and blatantly ignore the grievances of his fiancee.

Funny how a high voltage shock to the back of the neck will clear your head.

While Pepper and Peter slept, there was a late night pizza delivery Tony never requested.

With it was a letter with a time and a place.

It wasn’t hard to figure out who the letter was from, it was signed by May Parker with the request that they meet to ‘settle things once and for all’ as she put it.

It sounded to easy, mostly because it was.

It was a simple plan that could have easily backfired on her if Tony had been in any normal state of mind.

But he wasn’t.

And he made the mistake of thinking he was completely invincible with the stealth suit on, even if it wasn’t activated as it sat dormant under his clothes.

When he showed up at the meeting place he was attacked from behind. If it was actually May or not there was no telling, but they got extremely lucky, either that or Tony’s bad luck was kicking in.

Probably a bit of both.

Months ago he switched to a wireless neural interface with the suit. He had been designing it in his free time since he first started looking for Peter and it kept the basic design of the original interface. The process of the physical connection repeating over and over would have caused more harm than good in the long run if he kept using it.

But unfortunately for him, and lucky for the attacker, the main component for the wireless interface was located just at the back of the neck. A small little piece of metal at the base of his hairline that was now fried.

He had no connection with his suit, in fact the didn’t even have the suit on him anymore.

The short circuit caused the nanoparticles to completely deconstruct.

He wondered what his attacker thought as dark sand fell from his clothes.

Probably not the most productive thing to think of.

In fact there were way more important matters.

One being the bullet wound in his leg that he didn’t remember getting, and two the fresh smell of smoke.

He sat in an empty apartment that was in the middle of being renovated. There were tarps over the outside wall that was knocked down being the only thing that stopped someone from a fall. From the looks of it he they were definitely high enough to lead to a deadly one but how high exactly couldn’t be seen from his current angle as he leaned back against a wall with his hands on the bullet wound in his upper thigh.

“Oh my, already awake?” Asked a sweet familiar voice, but to him it sounded more like venom then sugar. Tony turned his head to face the source of the words.

“Couldn’t miss our meeting May,” Tony grunted as he put all his effort in to stopping himself from bleeding out.

“Tisk, tisk, you were always going to miss the meeting Tony,” May circled around him as she smartly kept her distance.

Her path brought his gaze to a pile of objects on the ground. It was everything he was carrying on him. Phone, pens, wallet, even his belt and the loose change he forgot in his pants.

Guess she wasn’t taking any chances, he was Tony Stark after all.

There was almost a glimmer of hope when he spotted his phone undamaged but this his mind quickly pieced things together. “I see you didn’t destroy my phone, guess you want me to be found.”

“No doubt he’s already on his way, such a hero that one,” She said sarcastically.

Tony cursed at himself, of course he was bait for Peter.

“What makes you so sure?” He asked, but even he was kidding himself.

May let out a low laugh, “That boy is exceptionally predictable.” All emotion had disappeared from her tone. “It was amusing to see how he assumed I thought he was dead after the escape in Moscow. In his teen years he’s getting more rebellious, his taste of freedom will be his downfall. He’ll get here, I’ll kill you, then all he has are those friends of his. Holding their lives over his head will keep him in check for the rest of his life, I doubt anyone can survive watching two father figures die in front of them,” She walked over to a canister of gasoline before she started to pour it around the room. “Most people think physical force in the only way to control people, but they completely underestimate the power of fear. Find the right triggers and you can force someone to do anything. If there are none, you make them.”

“You know there’s a thing called pushing people to far,” Tony watched as she tossed the canister aside and held a match in hand. “He’s also changed, even I can tell he’s not the same kid before you forced him into the fights.”

“That might be true, but he’s still just _Peter Parker,_ ” She practically spat his name out. Disgust spread across her face as she mentioned Peter full name.

“What the hell do you have against the kid?” Tony could feel his head get lighter as his own blood pooled under him, his efforts were slowing the bleeding, but not enough.

“The little bastard took away my normal life!” She snapped. “Benjamin was the closest thing I had to love! I worked years perfecting the persona of the woman he’d want, then finally when I got him to marry me the brat started getting uneasy. He kept whispering to Ben behind my back, it wasn’t long till he started looking into my past,” The faintest hint of heartbreak leaked through her otherwise emotionless tone.

“So you killed Ben? The man you loved?” Tony questioned.

“I learned pretty quick that it probably wasn’t love. I was angry when I found the police records from my childhood in his car. I let them burn with his body.”

“Guess I don’t have to wonder where those went anymore, and I thought the police had shit record keeping,” Tony muttered. “So why exactly are we in some random apartment? You seem really intent on burning it down.”

“Every criminal returns to the scene of the crime eventually, plus it’ll add maximum psychological damage to poor Peter,” She gave him a wicked grin as she twirled the match between his fingers.

Tony went wide eyed a the realization.

_They were in the original apartment._

There sound of feet running up the stairs broke the short silence.

“And now the show begins,” May said as she lit the match.

* * *

 

Peter heard the sudden roar of a fire starting as he made it to the apartment doorway.

May sat in the center of the empty burning room with Tony leaning against a wall in a growing puddle of blood. He looked pale and struggled to keep his head up.

“Peter, darling, glad you could make it,” May taunted, the fire lit up her face casting sharp shadows.

Peter froze at what was traditionally a term of endearment, but over the years it had been turned into a deadly warning by May.

“You really thought that you could escape me that easily?” She asked.

Nothing about _anything_ he’d been through was easy, but having all that effort mean nothing created a feeling worse than dying.

“You leave Tony out of this! J-Just let him go, I’ll do what you want, I promise,” Peter blurted out, though he knew immediately that was the wrong move.

She shot him a glare so sharp he flinched, “So you’re speaking now?” She spat. “You worthless little shit can’t even follow one rule?!” She snarled.

Peter felt his chest tighten and his breath pick up in panic.

_He broke the biggest rule she had._

He shouldn’t have done that, he shouldn’t have tried to fix everything with words.

He owed her his life.

He owed her everything.

What was he if he could even follow a simple rule?

Peter was worthless.

_Peter was worthless._

**_Peter was-_ **

His thoughts were interrupted by the sound of Tony’s coughs. Smoke started filling the room as the fire grew around them.

“Guess you were right Tony, he’s changed too much to control him,” May pulled the gun out from behind her as she pointed it at the already injured man.

Something about seeing her stand against the flames and smoke with a gun in hand caused something to snap in Peter’s head. Like the last shackles she held on him broke.

He wasn’t _just_ Peter Parker anymore.

He was also Nor.

But most importantly…

**He was Spider-Man.**

Peter took action.

With no webbing he had to rely on his body alone, but that wasn’t going to stop him.

He pulled his phone out of his pocket throwing it at May’s hand, the vibranium case let out a metallic ring as it collided with the gun.

May cursed as the weapon was knocked from her grip, she scrambled to pick it up again but Peter charged knocking her away from the weapon.

Their struggle caused the gun to skid away from them both, May seemed to take his off balanced posture to her advantage as she shoved him to the ground. She snatched the gun before he could stop her.

_Dodge right._

A gunshot rang out as Peter followed his spidey sense, he felt the air shift as a bullet from May’s gun flew past his head.

She suddenly turned the barrel towards Tony who was now just behind him.

Peter immediately shoved May as he grabbed the gun away from her.

Neither of them noticed how close they were to the busted out wall of the room.

The clear plastic did nothing to stop May’s fall through, but Peter instinctively reached out to catch her by the collar of her shirt. She grabbed his arms out of reflex since her feet barely clung to the edge of the flooring.

“Look what we have here,” She grinned. She struggled to speak with Peter’s grip on her shirt choking her slightly.

There were flashes of red and blue below but Peter could hardly see that as he looked into the emotionless eyes of May Parker.

“What are you going to do Peter?”

_What was he going to do?_

Peter wasn’t even sure of that.

But…

Maybe that wasn’t entirely true.

Logically there was only one option here.

One option where she couldn’t hurt anyone anymore. No more threats, no more murder, nothing.

“Peter…” Tony said in warning.

May studied his eyes his eyes and her grin turned into a wide smile, “Do it.” She said sweetly.

“Don’t!” Tony yelled.

But it was to late.

He barely loosened his grip before she slipped out of his grasp into to the street below. He easily picked up her last words as she fell.

_“I’m proud of you”_

There were gasps and screams as bystanders watched May hit the ground, Peter quickly moved away from the edge out of view.

Struggling he took in a breath, and then another.

He was on the verge of hyperventilation when he suddenly broke in to a panicked laugh.

Even defying her she somehow took the satisfaction away.

He killed her, and she was _fucking proud._

The only thing snapping him out of it was Tony calling his name.

“Peter, hey, I’m sorry buddy but you gotta hold it together. We need to get out of here this place is about to collapse,” He was trying to keep his tone steady but it slurred and wavered from the loss of blood.

“R-Right,” Peter sniffed. He had to blink a few times to reorient himself.

He hurried over to the man as he looked for anything that would work as a makeshift tourniquet. He ended up grabbing a belt that was in a scattered pile of things on the floor. Peter strapped it tightly above the wound.

He helped Tony up as the man let out a pained groan.

Peter started choking and coughing as the smoke grew thinker. The plastic tarps burned letting off toxic fumes.

Once on their feet Peter carried most of Tony’s weight, it wasn’t till they got near the entrance that he had to act like Tony was almost too heavy for the teen to carry.

A number of firemen and paramedics ran to their aid.

Both he and Tony going into shock of different types.

* * *

 

Peter was checked out by the paramedics and only given oxygen, Tony on the other hand was rushed to the hospital.

Pepper was quickly called and after a long three hours of Peter refusing to leave the hospital and the police questioning what happened (He had to use a pen an paper to explain the events since he lost the phone in the apartment). Eventually he found himself sitting in Tony’s room with Pepper waiting for him to wake up.

He felt responsible.

He should have realized his spidey sense that was warning him of Tony’s suit.

He should have known that May wasn’t just going to disappear without another word.

And now because he didn’t Tony was unconscious in a hospital bed, and Peter was turned into the one thing he _never_ wanted to be. The one thing May was probably pushing him to become:

**_A Murderer._ **

The police saw it as self defense, Peter painted it as her accidentally falling during a struggle, but he and Tony knew different.

He worried what the man might think of him now.

What if he didn’t want Peter anymore?

Fortunately the thought didn’t rattle around in Peter’s head for to much longer. The anesthetics were wearing off and Tony started to wake.

Pepper was the first to the bedside and Peter kept his distance.

“Tony, thank god,” She said almost in tears.

“Hey Pep…” Tony spoke with a dazed smile.

“What the hell were you thinking,” She hugged him tightly.

“Sorry, I wasn’t,” He replied as he held her, “You were right about the suit, don’t worry, I’m getting rid of it for good… God, I’m so sorry how I treated you.”

“They must have you on some pretty heavy pain killers if you’re finally realizing that.”

“I wish,” Tony muttered. He pulled away from Pepper noticing Peter standing awkwardly by the chairs.

Shame evident on his face, he was especially worried to hear what Tony had to say.

“Pete, come here,” He waved slightly and Pepper took a step back.

Peter was hesitant and glanced towards the door. If he ran he wouldn’t have to face the disappointed words Tony might have to say.

As he the man could read his mind he spoke again, “I’m not mad at you just get your butt over here, kid.”

Peter swallowed nervously as he took the steps necessary to approach the bed. He was shocked when the billionaire pulled him into a hug.

“You did what you had to do, I’m sorry I put you in that situation,” Tony whispered.

Peter was overwhelmed with relief, he just hugged the man a little tighter.


	26. Epilogue

The end of summer approached and Peter would finally be going back to Midtown High school to start his junior year.

The month that followed May’s death was stagnant compared to everything that had happened. 

But Peter was perfectly fine with that.

After moving into the newly renovated penthouse Tony and Pepper had in Queens, Peter settled in by collecting all the stuff he ever gave to MJ and Ned for safe keeping. It was more than he expected but still wasn’t much to fill the large room he was given. A few housewarming gifts were included from both of them and he was grateful to have a place he could put them without the worry of them being taken or destroyed. 

He didn’t go out as Spider-Man till the week before school started. He helped Tony in designing a new suit. The old one didn’t feel quite right anymore and it wasn’t the same wearing it like it once was. 

He kept the basic colors of red and blue but brought them down a few shade, the emblem on the chest was made a little bigger, droney still sat hidden in it and his size didn’t change, but the biggest change was the addition of a hood.

It was purely cosmetic, literally had no use, in fact it slightly hindered his peripheral vision but his spidey sense was strong enough to compensate for it.

Tony said he liked the new design, he used some limited nanoparticles in the suit to give it more shape so didn’t look like some ordinary hoodie thrown over a spider suit.

The first time taking the suit out for a swing was exhilarating. He never felt happier falling through the air before stretching a hand out to cast another strand of webbing onto the next building. 

He spent the entire day in the streets as he familiarized himself with his beloved city. It didn’t take long to get used to his old patrol routes, it was honestly like riding a bike. 

Unfortunately not everything was as perfect as swinging through the city.

Some nights he couldn’t sleep, he was plagued with dreams of May returning or the little girl’s dead eyes. Originally he wasn’t going to say anything about it, and it was never mentioned, but after one particularly horrid night that ended with Tony having to coax Peter down from the ceiling, and the fact that he constantly flinched with Pepper tried to make any kind of contact with him, caused them to suggest a therapist. 

It was surprisingly Tony’s idea, Pepper muttered something about being a hypocrite, but after a few days to consider Peter decided it was probably best.

Keeping secrets and not talking was what led him through his life before, he was determined to make things different now. He still had some doubts and wondered how effective a therapist would actually be if he couldn’t tell them about being spider-man. That was practically half of his life left out. 

Mr. Stark also seemed to have the same idea, so he made an AI for that.

His name was Dr. HAL.

When Peter asked what it stood for Tony made up some acronym on the spot. Doctor ‘Helps A Little’ became his official title. 

They just called him HAL for short.

He was made to be more lifelike than any of the other AIs tony created (But not too life like since they didn’t need another Ultron).

Tony assured Peter that there was a doctor/patient confidentiality protocol.

Peter was kind of relieved at that, not that he didn’t mind Tony knowing what he said to Hal, the idea of having the privacy given to him was just one of the many small ways Tony showed he cared for Peter. 

HAL ended up helping a lot and the D/P protocol made him feel like he could talk about anything. Giving him more freedom to speak then he realized he needed. 

The nightmares showed no sign of going away anytime soon but talking about them lessened their effect on him. 

He was hesitant about going back to school but HAL helped him get over that to, suggesting that being around his peers again will help him accumulate to his new circumstances.

Tony was also using HAL, the effects the suit had on his mind were slowly fading but there were still time he acted off. Pepper was the one to usually snap him out of it but without the constant use of the suit those incidents soon became few and far between. 

There were still times where Peter caught the man looking over the blueprint of the suit. There was a look in his eyes that reminded him of the many addicts he saw on the streets, the ones that had gone to long without their drug. 

Peter made a note to keep an eye on Tony, couldn’t help but feel responsible. The man was using the suit to look for him after all, it was only fair that Peter made sure Tony didn’t get fall because of it. 

With school getting closer Peter had to take a test the week before the first day that proved he was ready to go into 11th grade. He did miss an entire semester of school but he didn’t seem to need it to pass the test. Tony and Pepper weren't surprised, in fact they were actually proud. The three of them went out for milkshakes and ice cream to celebrate.

As adopted parents they were better than he expected them the be. With that in mind it was still surprising to find them fretting over him on the first day of school. Tony insisted on riding in the car with him, even insisted that Peter could totally wait a week or three if he wanted.

Peter declined, he’d been looking forward to going back to school. He craved normalcy in his life, or at least something close to it. 

Getting there he was stared at in the halls. Most eyes gazing to the very prominent scar, and with his hair now cut there was absolutely no chance of hiding it. Not that he felt like he needed to. 

The ‘official’ story was he got it from being shoved into a cage fight with a cyborg polar bear.

Once a reporter caught him on one of his outings with Tony and Pepper, but before he was ushered away he felt brave enough to answer one of the most asked questions he got.

_ “How do you feel about your scar?” _

It was kind of an insensitive question, and if he had any other reason he probably would have ignored them, but he really wanted to state his answer.

Peter signed and his phone spoke his answer.

_ <It signified the beginning of the end. The events that lead to it were the same ones to eventually lead to my rescue… plus I honestly like it, I think it looks cool.> _

Both Tony and Pepper seemed surprised by his answer and were a little shocked as they all go into the car. They never asked about his scar and probably assumed Peter hated it.

Peter’s thoughts were brought back to the present as he walked to his new assigned locker. No one talked to him, but they were definitely talking about him. He could hear their whispers and spotted their gazes constantly shift to him. He put a few things his his locker as he ignored them, he only had extra notebooks and binders with him since he wasn’t sure what he needed for his classes yet. He hadn’t gone through the first cycle of classes to find out what supplies would be required for each.

“Hey Peter!” Ned said happily from behind. 

Peter quickly turned to greet his friend.

“Ready for classes?”

“Sorta? I don’t know, not sure how I feel with all these eyes on me,” He said quietly, his voice was slowly recovering but he was still having trouble speaking loudly. 

“It’s no different than when you’re out with the Starks,” MJ said approaching them. She put an arm lazily over both boy’s shoulders as she rested all of her weight on them. 

“Well, it kinda is. A lot of people here knew me before, so, do I act the same as I was or not?” He was a little nervous, he kinda didn’t want to act how he used to, all meek and quiet. Sure he was still quiet but meek was not something he wanted to describe himself as anymore. 

“Hell no,” MJ said as if it was the most obvious answer. “Act like you Peter, anything that wasn’t what you were like before can be blamed on your bitch Aunt restricting you or something.”

“Dude, you could even join sports if you want! You’ll be so awesome! We’d totally go to all of your games,” Ned said in his usual excitement.

“I’m not gonna be a cheerleader,” MJ said flatly.

Peter gave a small laugh, “I think sports might be much, I still want to have time for the internship,” Peter fell back on the old code they made up for Spider-Man.

“Right… hey I’m still your guy in the chair right?” Ned asked hesitantly.

“Ned, you’ll  _ always  _ be my guy in the chair,” Peter assured. 

“Sweet!”

MJ pulled away from the group and took her arms off the two, “You losers better get going, you don’t want to miss your first class,” She gave Peter a hesitant but slightly awkward pat on the back before walking down the hall. “Just be you Pete, K?” She called over her shoulder.

Peter nodded at her before she disappeared into the swarm of students.

“I’ve got history first period, but I’ll see you later in chem,” Ned said before walking off.

“Alright, see ya,” Peter said as he closed his locker before he started walking the opposite direction of Ned to head to his first class.

“Hey Parker!” Said a very familiar and not entirely welcomed voice.

Peter let out a small breath as he automatically assessed the area, he instinctively readied for some kind of altercation as he slightly lowered his bag off his shoulder so it could be easily thrown aside if needed.

He turned to face Flash, the entire room seemed to still as they waited and watched.

His spidey sense wasn’t acting up, so maybe this wouldn’t end badly for Flash. Because there was no way he was going to let himself be pushed around anymore. 

“Uh, but guess it’s Stark now,” Flash said awkwardly. 

<Thought we were good Flash,> Peter signed, the translated voice now came from a small speaker that was hooked to his collar. Despite the therapy sessions in both mentally and vocally, Peter was in no way ready to verbally talk to other people yet. Though he did start throwing a few quips during his patrols.

“We are… just,” Flash scratched the back of his head, “I guess I’m apologizing or whatever. The shit I did to you, sorry. You were already going through hell and I made things worse.” He avoided Peter’s eyes as he looked off to the side.

<I’m gonna be honest with you Flash, you we’re just annoying. No much you could have really done to make things worse,> Peter shrugged. 

“Still, I was an ass.” 

<I won’t argue there,> Peter signed with a faint laugh, <But just know that if you ever start that shit again…>

Peter leaned in slightly, “I won’t be so lenient.” His tone was low and there was an obvious threat behind it.

Sure he wasn’t comfortable speaking full conversations with people, but damn was it an excellent intimidation tactic.

<So, we’re good Flash.> Peter signed pulling away. <See you in decathlon later>

Flash swallowed nervously before responding, “Yeah, ok.”

Peter couldn’t help walk away with a small. 

MJ was right, he just needed to be himself.

No more masks.

Well... 

Except one.

 

**_*Blast Spider-Man Music as Credits Roll*_ **

**_THE END..._ **

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> ... Oh  
>  my  
> god...  
> Did I just finish this story?!  
> Holy shit I did!?!  
> This is literally the first story of any type that I've actually managed to finish!
> 
> I really hope you all liked it.  
> Also keep subscribed because there will be a **bonus chapter** with concept sketches I made while board at work and a one **alternate scenario** involving Tony finding Peter at the mutant fights. They end up facing each other. There's also another scene that some people over on Wattpad were requesting, back in chapter 18 there were two drunk collage students mentioned talking about Thermodynamics and they were wanting to hear that conversation lol... boy is that going to be fun! I got to go study thermodynamics now XD
> 
> Also I might be writing a **sequel**... not sure yet but I do have a basic plot for one but I'm going to work on other story ideas before I circle back around to this one. I will be putting it in a series so keep subbed to that and you'll be notified when I decide to post the first chapter.
> 
> I love Nor so much!! I don't think it's physically possible for me to leave this character alone forever. I have a vendetta against Steve Rogers for not telling Tony about his parents death, I requite a pure hearten (all be it slightly scared) Peter Parker to punch in in the face at least once.
> 
> If you guys like my writing and ideas check out my other story, the next one I'm going to work on is **Peter Parker in the wizarding world of Harry Potter**. As I post this I already have **7 chapters**. So check it out!
> 
> [Bold for those who don't like authors notes]


	27. Special Features

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> As promised all the random bits and bobs that have accumulated during the creation of this story! And will feature notes and comments from yours truly! ;}

** Table of Contents? **

_-My Art Gallery_

_-Peter VS. The Widower_

_-Thermodynamics With Junkies!_

_ 1k Kudos Bonus!!! _

_-Spider-Baby And The Murder Bots_

 

** MY ART GALLERY **

 

 

_Suit Design:_

 

 

-Here are some practice sketches of me trying to get a general idea of what his suit might look like. I wanted to somehow take aspects from the clothes he wore as Nor so I decided something like a "mask" over the face... buuut That wasn't working out too well and he kept looking like other Marvel characters. Eventually I did decide to go with the hood instead of the mask. 

 

-Since Peter's clothing preference changed to a more moody style, of course this would also reflect on his suit. This was the first design of the suit I have and it has stayed relatively the same except for small detail changes. I'm actually really proud with how it turned out. 

 

-Of course after getting down the initial idea I had to draw a dramatic/slightly stylized version... um.. just ignore the gun. His hand ended up in the air like that and I had no idea what else to put there.

 

-Here's the same picture from before but I took it into a program to paint and color it... still kinda getting used to the program but I think it turned out looked good!

 

-Then there's Spidey just doing his vigilante thing. I drew this before I finalized the last scene against Aunt May, it's kinda what gave me the idea to drop her out the window. Just to be clear I'm not entirely sure how I want Peter's experiences as Nor to effect his role as Spider-Man, so a lot of these sketches may not reflect how his character will turn out. 

 

_Scraped Character:_

__

-Everyone say hi to Lula!

So if you don't remember, Lula was the monkey-tiger mutant animal with the heavy New Yoke accent and "advanced thermoregulation" as Peter scientifically stated. (Essential just means she can control the tempt of her body). She was the second animal he fought in chapter 20 while still at the New York cage fights.

She was actually going to have a much /much/ bigger role in the story and Peter wasn't even going to Russia!!

Pete and this awesome monkey were going to become best friends. Peter was going to help her escape after he overheard she was going to get killed in her next fight. (During this I actually didn't have the shock collars and Peter was there purely by choice because he was afraid of May hurting his friends. I ended up dropping that because it didn't have as much tension to Peter's well-being and the whole vibe of the story was just not what I was looking for)

Anyways, somehow the vulture got involved and it was one of those "he's a "bad guy", not a bad guy" thing. And once he sees that the lowlife Mr. Thomas had Peter Parker he was going to do a distraction and Lula was going to brake Peter out by letting the Octobear escape. She'd call Tony on the pay phone and the conversation with went something like this:  
Lula: I is Lula!!! We need your help!!  
(Because Lula doesn't know that you don't need to yell into a payphone)  
Tony: What the fu- who are you?? How'd you get this number?  
Lula: I says, I. AM. LULA! Me and Nor need help!  
Tony: Wha- Nor? Peter??

This was a very VERY early idea of what the ending was like and was going to have the story end a few chapter shorter then it did. The Widower suit wasn't even an idea in this ending...

Speaking of...

 

_The Widower Suit Design:_

__

-This is essentially what the design looks like under all that epic stealth. Intimidating, kinda freaky, and hardly anything like an Ironman suit... mostly. I kinda made it look very slightly like an Ironman suit because subconsciously Tony can't help himself. Also ran out of paper before I got to the feet but I really hate drawing feet so not exactly complaining. 

 

_Sequel Sneak Peaks??:_

__

__

-I'm not going to say anything about these, I'll let everyone's imagination fester for awhile. ;}  
Looove you guys

 

** PETER VS. THE WIDOWER **

 

[Right so this started out as a quick scene I jotted down awhile ago between the posting of chapters 21 and 22. Even at the time I started making it I knew there would be no chance it would be added. I know it don't have much but I thought it was pretty cool so I decided to finish it and let you guys enjoy the quick scene.

Few rules first so things make sense.

*Hydra is still a thing in ONLY this alternate scene

*Basic events previous to the little girl scene happened, things changed slightly but it will be explained if they did.

*Don't question the logic of things to much I wanted to write this scene but didn't put to much effort of the smaller details like I usually would... also it would have taken WAY to long for that.

*Don't question HOW Tony was captured... tbh I don't even know XD.]  
  


Peter couldn't tell how long it had been since the fight with the little girl, losing track of the time was easy when he didn't even have daily meals to remind him or even a window to see the light of day.

He was convinced the entire facility was underground.

The only thing he knew was the days he'd fight, and it looked like today was one of them.

But something felt off.

His spidey sense was warning him of... something, but it wasn't very clear what that something actually was. The warning was faint, but didn't necessarily feel like it was warning of a threat.

Just that something wasn't right.

Peter let out a quiet sigh as he was escorted out of his cell, not much could be done about the the warning so there wasn't a point to reacting to it, even if he  _did_  know what it was trying to say.

He was lead to the usual compartment that would open up into the fairly large gladiatorial like arena.

The doors slammed shut behind him and he used the time in the darkness to pull on his mask. He tried to ignore the fact that the little girls blood still stained the fabric.

He still had nightmares replaying the memory. How he was forced to fight her, then, eventually, break her neck.

He knew HYDRA of all people, wanted her dead for a reason. If he didn't kill her, then who knows what they would have done. At least with him he could make sure she didn't suffer any more then she had to. They still weren't too happy with how quick she died, which lead to his meals being reduced. 

When the automatic door opened slowly he hadn't received an order whether he was winning or losing. Guess that meant he was making it a good show, whatever the outcome might be. He couldn't afford another week of no food, if he did well with this fight then he'd be rewarded. They practically had him trained like a dog now, but he still had the goal to stay alive long enough for them to slip up so he could escape, or if Mr. Stark managed to find him, whichever came first.

At this point he didn't have enough pride left to be picky anyways, especially since he'd been eating off the floor like an animal.

The arena looked empty at first glance, but as he stepped out he spotted the distorted view of a what might have been a man. Peter couldn't tell if he was wearing some kind of tech or if the ability was natural as his image shifted and blended with the background. But there were damaged portions that stayed the same. It reminded Peter of a phone screen with the artifacts of getting crushed, an inky black spot where the pressure point originated.

The moment Peter stepped into the light, what he thought was the man's head twitched to look straight at him.

***

Everything was gone, there was nothing. No sight, no sound, not even smell. The two senses remained and that was touch and his ability to see the infrared spectrum, but even that was countered. The walls were designed to absorb any head that touched them instantly, the cold was evident in the air but luckily he felt cozy under his skin.

He hated touching the walls and would leave himself suspended in the air if the small rooms with the four of his limbs that never tired.

So only his sense of touch was reliable enough to use, but that alone wasn't enough to keep him from losing his mind.

At least that's what he thought happened. He... couldn't remember. At this moment in time, all he knew was the darkness,  _the nothing._

The same nothing that would swallow the gentle red heat of his hand print on every surface.

He felt like a beast trapped in a cage.

But maybe that's what he was. He couldn't think of any creature with eight limbs and senses as heightened as his own. But that didn't stop one word from coming to mind, the only word he remembered from his past.

_The Widower._

That was him, he was the Widower, and that's all he knew.

Suddenly the nothingness became something. He wasn't sure what they did but he could smell something different, then the next moment his mind was forced into sleep before he realizes it was a drug.

When he woke he was in the middle of a large arena. The lights were to bight, and he could feel every single eye on him. Everywhere he looked in his 360° view everyone was watching him, and he  _hated_ it.

He tried to blend in to the surroundings in an attempt to hide, but something was wrong. A portion of his skin wasn't working.

His first thought was they must have poisoned him. These humans, as he's sure they were called, must have given him something to block his natural ability to blend in.

It was infuriating, he wanted to kill every last one of them for blocking his own abilities.

The Widower's thoughts were interrupted by the sound of a door slowly sliding up.

He had noticed a number of what were supposed to be hidden doors, but his sharp eyes could see the seams in the paneling as well as the heat signature of a smaller human standing just behind one of them.

When the boy stepped forward he twitched his head to face that direction. There was something odd about him, familiar maybe?

Everything from the bone structure to his face hidden just under his mask, was familiar as if it were someone he knew.

"Who are you?" he asked, his voice deep and mechanical.

The boy didn't respond. He only stares back with a blank expression under his mask, but his eyes constantly moved as he seemed to examine the Widower.

Shortly after the door behind him closed a buzzer sound and the child leap towards the Widower with a punch ready. He was fast, yes, but the widower was quicker with his long limbs and instant reflexes.

For some reason he had no desire to fight back, there was a strange urge to protect the child, despite the fact it was trying to kill him.

He tried to calm it but his words were unheard over the crowd and when he reached for the child. He suddenly backed away with a panicked look under his mask.

The child changed tactics as he suddenly moved at a much faster pace. He stayed low to the ground practically on all fours with movement and agility that only remained the Widower of himself.

He dodged as much as he could but no longer tried to fight back, he used the opportunity to study him further, maybe learn how to calm them or wait for the boy tire himself out.

He missed a dodge and the child's fist collided with his side. He blocked it some with his quick legs but he still ended up flying across the area.

A strange realization popped into mind when his head hit the ground.

_This child was his!_

He wasn't sure how and something told him it wasn't a direct relationship, but it was still one all the same.

He had to rescue-

The thought was immediately interrupted by a shock through his neck. The distraction of his restored senses caused him to miss the added weight around his throat.

He watched as the boy also reacted to the shock. His own collar being the source.

This  **infuriated** the Widower. How dare they put that torturous device on  _his_ kid!

Boiling with rage he charged towards the kid, the kid hadn't recovered enough from the shock to properly get away from the Widower, but that was probably a good thing, it allowed one of the Widower's legs to reached down and rip off the shock collar before their captors could figure out what was going on.

Barely a moment after the destroyed collar hit the ground did his own send a shock through his body that was twice the voltage as before.

***

The creature just  _freed_ Peter?

Peter was honestly more shocked by his suddenly freedom the the literal shock re received before, but he was quick to snap of out of it as he suddenly jumped into action when he saw the shifting invisibility start to rapidly blink in and out like a strobe as the creature's body convulsed. It was obvious what was happening, so Peter moved fast as he jumped onto the creatures back and grabbed one of the thin legs that was trying to curl towards the collar. He used it for leverage to break the inferior metal of the collar.

_'Geez what was this guy made out of??... Wait a sec'_

Having a closer look at the creature's skin on its neck he could tell it wasn't actually organic, but some kind of metallic fabric?

He didn't have much longer to study the creature- no, the  _man's_ suit before Peter's spidey sense went off. By instinct he shoved the man in the strange suit to the ground as he leap into the air, gunfire rang out between them but luckily neither of them were hit.

Peter flipped back to land on his feet only to duck into a roll and another stream of gunfire aimed towards him. One quick glance told him the arena was filled with HYDRA agents, and Peter had a feeling that they weren't planning on letting the two out alive.

"Kid! Stay by me, we'll be leaving," The man growled, his voice metallic and probably electronically altered, but there was still something familiar about it.

Peter just nodded as he ran to the man who kept himself slightly suspended off the ground by the four legs of his suit.

Before Peter knew it he was snatched up by once of the legs as it curled securely around him. The man charged towards one of the empty walls, Peter wasn't sure what he was up to but from the looks of it the guy wanted to charge through solid concrete. Peter started to tug at the grip in a panic, but soon gave up as he braced himself for the impact that was definitely going to hurt.

This guy was crazy, and Peter was sure they were going to die.

That was until what he thought was solid concrete gave way to what looked like an abandoned elevator shaft.

The man tossed Peter up into the dark. Peter struggled to latch himself to a wall but as soon as he did he started to climb. The man was behind him along with more gunfire, with his extra limbs he was a lot faster than Peter. As soon as he caught up with the teenager he grabbed the kid with his human arms as they escaped up what Peter hoped was an actual exit, but what he couldn't figure out was how exactly the man knew it was there. Was he ex-HYDRA? Or did the suit allow him to see more then Peter realizes?

 

 

** THERMODYNAMICS WITH JUNKIES! **

In one of the many abandoned subway stations that scattered New York, this one contained a makeshift bar setup by the wayward teenagers and young adults in the city.

Kile and Eric we're one of the many that frequently visited the place. They were best friend and knew each other since preschool, they did everything together. The good... and the bad.

It was the bad life choices that lead them to frequent the neon lit bar with a few beers on the table and a handful of blunts ready to be smoked. Their bad habits were what got them kicked out of college, but that didn't mean they were stupid. In fact, the two were quite brilliant, but even brilliant minds don't think straight when under the influence of THC.

"Kile. Hey, hey, Kile, I've got this idea" Eric dragged in the smoke of his current blunt, "-we should build a machine," his voice strained from holding in a breath.

"But like, what kind of machine?" Kile asked as he sipped the last of his beer before taking an unopened one on the table and popping the cap off.

"A perpetual motion machine," Eric grinned.

"Dude, no way, man, that's impossible," Kile laughed lazily.

"No, but listen. Ok so we get this.. uh this space metal, the Frisbee shit," Eric muttered. "Like, that Captain America Frisbee."

"The vibranium shit?"

"Yeah! The vibranium shit! Alright so we get that, and you know how it gets all that kinetic energy and stores it as potential? The ratio that the shit is release is like, spot on ya know." Eric continue.

"Oh fuck! Yeah, you right! So we could totally get two of those Frisbee right?Set them in a room and just, just yeet a fuckin' tennis ball or some shit at it and it just perpetually bounces off each other, right??" Kile asked, excitement leaked through the slurs of his tone.

"No, wait, make the tennis ball a  _Thor_  tennis ball..."

"A What?"

"You know," Eric continued as he took in a drag, "we get Thor to make a tennis ball, from the same shit he made his hammer."

"But only Thor could throw the new tennis ball of worthiness." Kile said a little confused.

"Dude, Thor only has to throw it once. So we hire him, then he throws it, then BOOM! Perpetual motion machine."

"Sweet," Kile nodded. "How do we make it power shit?"

Eric reaches over to grab another blunt, he fumbled with his lighter as he tried to start it, "I don't know man, but this weed is hittin' me pretty hard, let's worry about it later."

Kile just shrugged as he chugged the last of his beer, but out of the corner of his eye his hazy mind managed to spot something, he almost spit up his drink, "Eric, Eric look," he said quickly patting the table to get his friends attention.

He pointed towards a kid who had just left from his table after talking to some punk rock chick. "Isn't that Nor?"

"Nah, Dude," Eric said shaking his head, "he's not tall enough."

 

 

** SPIDER-BABY AND THE MURDER BOTS **

[A/N: Couldn't sleep one night and I saw that this novel of mine got  **1k Kudos**??? Well I just had to do something to thank everyone for reading. I remembered a few comments left by people on wattpad during chapter 4 when Tony made a comment after finding out Peter was at the expo when Hammer's robots attacked. A handful of them were defiantly interested in reading "Spider-Baby and the Murder Bots" so I really hope you guys are too.

SO ENJOY!]

 

_Spider-Kid!~_

_Spider-Kid!~_

_Does whatever a Spider-Kid Does!~_

_Can he help Mr. Stark?~_

_OF COURSE HE CAN CUZ HE'S SPIDER-KID!!~_

_LOOK OUT! HERE COMES THE SPI-_

"Peter Benjamin Parker what do you think your doing?!" Mr. Stark yelled from the coms.

"Umm... nothing," said the 10 year is boy and he jumped onto one of the discount Iron Man armor. He immediately started to rip the wiring out from the exposed neck.

"Peter! You are not ready for this! Leave now!"

"But I was to heeelp!!" Peter whined.

"Then only think I'm letting you help with is getting people evacuated!" Mr. Stark ordered.

"But I got, like, _three_ bad guys! I didn't even need help!"

"Evacuation efforts only! This is out of your league, kid."

"Fffffffine!!!!" Peter sighed dramatically.  
  
  


[Peter is a child and Tony is a semi responsible adult... I don't know what you expected]  
  
  
  
  
  


**To everyone who took the time to read my first story,**

_Thank You_

 


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